Intermission
by anime-lovin'-freak
Summary: Intermission: the period between the acts of a theatrical or musical performance. For Rachel this means the period between Sectionals and Regionals, between loneliness and tentative friendships, between Finn and two other boys. Set after 2.10
1. Prologue: An Opportunity

**AN: **Hello there, everybody. Once again this is anime-lovin'-freak's friend using her account to post another Glee fanfic. In other words, it's not her fault if I make a hash-up of this fic. And I might make a few mistakes because I've missed a few episodes of Season Two. (Unfortunately I watched Episode nine. And cried. Literally.)

In a month (February 6) the next Glee episode will air. And it is very possible that the world will FINALLY (after TWO FREAKING MONTHS) learn the fate of Finchel. In the month we have left to wait, I am going to amuse myself with my own take on the events that could happen. None of them are actually going to at all, which is why I'm naming this an **AU**.

Now the **pairings **that will AT LEAST be mentioned in this fic are as follows: Quinn/Sam, Quinn/Puck, Quinn/Finn, Tina/Mike, Artie/Brittany, Will/Emma, Emma/Carl, Kurt/Blaine, Finn/Santana, Santana/Brittany, Rachel/Finn, Rachel/Puck, Rachel/Jesse.

Other than that I can't really tell you much else. The "T" rating is for mild language and suggestive talk in later chapters. There will be spoilers up to the end of episode ten. There will be a lot of singing going on in this fic and the majority of the songs will be ones the cast has already sung. Past all of that, I hope you enjoy. I had fun thinking this out. Reviews will be much loved. Now onto the prologue.

Happy 2011, my fellow Gleeks =]

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

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**Prologue: An Opportunity**

Rachel Berry was on a mission. The cold wind whipping against her face and the snow taking hold of her ankles did nothing to stop her Purposeful Marching. Her head was held as high as it could go, her back stick straight and her face set in determination. It was a stance she had taken many a time before when she was on her way to demand something she just knew she deserved.

But this time, her Purposeful Marching was not for her own gain, per se. This time it was more for her own preservation. The Christmas break had not worked out the way she'd planed, to say the least. She'd actually been looking forward to experiencing her first Christmas because of the excited please of a certain football player. But that certain football player had left the stage of her life abruptly, leaving her holiday open and gaping. She'd tried to fill the time with uploading more MySpace videos, but even that had lost its appeal after a while. And so she decided to turn to the heartbreak remedy of women everywhere: ice cream, romantic movies and shopping.

The latter was extremely difficult to do, what with half the population rushing around the malls like headless chickens. But the bustle had kept her occupied and she had accepted the mad rush gratefully. On her third consecutive day at the mall she'd run into Kurt and Mercedes. Talking with Kurt now came very easily, and the awkwardness between them faded within a minute or so. She'd never expected to have so much fun hanging out with her 'rival' but she was not about to fight the blossoming friendship. Kurt, it seemed, felt the same way and directed all his friendly warmth at the girl as he spoke.

Mercedes did not share that spark of friendship. Which was why Rachel was hesitant when Kurt invited her to tag along with them. After much huming and hawing she finally gave in and was treated to her first Kurt Shopping Experience. It surprised her that he actually picked out some pretty cute things for her to try on. It nearly flabbergasted her when she realized three hours later that her and Mercedes had somehow started to get along. Really well.

They met up several times after that and, to Rachel's bemusement, she found herself becoming better and better friends with both of them. From the comments Mercedes made, she was as surprised at the relationship as Rachel was. Kurt and her now texted almost every evening, talking and teasing like old friends. They talked about everything and anything except Kurt's stepbrother.

But that had been during the winter break. Now it was back to school, and Rachel could no longer hide in giggles and musicals and hot chocolate. Behind the seemingly ordinary doors of McKinley High was Finn and the very large possibility of Mercedes denying the holidays ever happened. This had scared her- had torn a hole of anxiety through her gut and had filled her eyes with tears. But Rachel Barbra Berry was not going to give up that easily. One didn't become a star by admitting defeat. Staring at her mirror that morning she had pep-talked herself into being strong. She was going to walk into that school and show them all. She could survive and survive well without Finn Hudson and nothing anybody did would be able to bring her down.

Which was why she was Purposefully Marching towards the school, ready to put her plan into action. However, somebody didn't seem to notice her empowered striding as they stepped right in front of her, causing her to stop in her tracks so she didn't crash into him. The boy was an unknown student with an ordinary face, ordinary brown hair and an ordinary fashion sense of wearing all black. He stared at her so strangely that Rachel wondered for one wild second if he was going to mug her.

"You sing really well," the boy blurted suddenly.

"Uh… Thank you?" She shifted. "Do you… want an autograph, or something?"

The boy grinned. "Not yet, thanks." He extended his gloved hand. "My name's Jonah Harris."

"Rachel Berry," she said automatically, shaking his hand.

"I know." She flushed. "I've just been elected as the new chairman of the drama club."

"Er…" _The drama club has a chairman? _"Congratulations? Uhm… I'm kinda in a rush so…"

She made as if to side-step him, but he copied her movement so he was still directly in front of her. Almost as a reflex action, Rachel's hands went to her hips.

"Look. The drama club and the Lima Theatre Guild are teaming up to do another musical. Mr Duncan was thrilled by the success of _Les Miserables _and he wants to make this year bigger and better. He's decided on a stage adaptation of _Moulin Rouge. _As it is we only have three people who even want to attempt to audition for Satine. And one of them is really, really old. So I was wondering…"

He trailed off and raised his eyebrow at Rachel, who felt her heart quicken with excitement. She could tell just by Jonah's manner that the play would be as big as Lima could create. And her competition was basically non-existent. This would be a kick-start to her Broadway career, a mere taste of the glory and the lights…

"Thank you for your offer, Jonah. But while I do agree that I would portray Satine the best out of anybody in this town I'm afraid I must decline the offer. I have Glee and… it comes first."

"I know it does. We've already discussed it and we've agreed to make sure rehearsals never intersect with Glee practices. Look, Rachel, I know that your loyalty lies with the Glee Club but… This is a huge opportunity. You'd be helping us and we'd be helping you. So just, think about it, at least. Just in case you need a place to go when the drama in Glee gets too much."

Rachel suddenly felt cold. She knew he was talking about Finn, which meant that he knew what had happened between them. That meant that most of the school knew. Which meant that things would probably be worse than she'd thought. All that would be negated by the applause she was sure to get as the lead in _Moulin Rouge_. But…

"I'll think about it," she agreed, causing Jonah to smile and pump her hand enthusiastically.

Rachel continued toward the school but her Purposeful Marching was now much more like Thoughtful Wandering.


	2. 1: Catalyst

**AN: **Because the Prologue was very plot-less and because chapter one is rather short I decided to post the two together. Now please don't get me wrong after this chappie: I love Finn to bits. He's just… a little to easy to be lead astray by the promise of popularity and whatnot. So sorry to all the Finn fans. It hurt me to write it too.

Reviews will be adored =]

_One person singing. _

**_Two or more people singing_**

_-Another person coming into the song _

**Disclaimer: **Glee and all its characters are sadly not mine. I do own Jonah, though.

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**Chapter One: Catalyst**

The usual pre-glee chatter filled the small choir room, the sound rising and falling with the different pitched voices. Rachel sat on the seats closest to the door, the furthest possible spot from a certain somebody she was refusing to even look at. Her back was turned to him as she engaged in a light conversation with Tina and Mike. She had been slightly surprised when the two had started talking to her, but she hadn't hesitated in returning the hesitant warmth. The Asian couple had never really had any problems with her and the only time they'd ever really gone head-to-head was during the whole Sunshine and Crackhouse debacle. It was very comforting to know she had at least two people who wouldn't mind talking to her.

Tina excused herself from the conversation, crumpling up a piece of old homework she had just discovered in her bag. She was in the process of throwing it in the bin when Mr Schuester bounded into the room, all smiles and energy.

"Recycling!" he yelled happily.

Tina froze, her arm hanging over the bin as she turned to her teacher, unsure if he'd been reprimanding her. The rest of the club looked at the grinning man blankly, unable to connect his enthusiastic outburst to anything showchoir-related.

"It's your assignment for this week," he explained, and the room relaxed in understanding.

Tina deftly dropped her paper in the bin before returning to her seat. Mr Schue scribbled the word "Recycling" across the whiteboard in his messy handwriting before turning back to them and clapping his hands.

"Okay, guys, so here's how it's gonna work. We're going to work some more on teamwork this week so we can really start gearing for Regionals. And so everybody is going to sing a song that we have already covered. Now if the song is a solo the person singing it has to be different. But if it's a duet one of the two people can stay the same as the first time. Any questions?"

Sam raised his hand slowly. "Uh… I have no clue which songs…"

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure all of the guys will be happy to give you a quick run-down of the songs. Yeah, Artie?" He raised his eyebrow at the next raised hand.

"What are we going to do about the fact that we're now a member short again?"

"Don't worry about it. That'll sort itself out in time. Just focus on your songs for this week, okay?"

The chatter instantly rose again as everybody began discussing which song they'd do. Mercedes found herself with an idea almost instantly, but for unknown reasons she felt like she needed to ask permission. It was utterly ludicrous- the song did not belong to anybody in the club. But the holidays had opened a new door to friendship, and she had to grudgingly admit that she didn't want to lose it.

So, taking a deep breath, she called the girl in question. "Rachel?" The brunette turned to her in surprise, her eyes cautiously questioning. "I was uhm… wondering. If I could do _Take A Bow _as my song?"

A smile crossed the other girl's face. It was small and tentative, but Mercedes could see the same desire to keep the friendship alive reflected in her eyes. "Of course. You'll do great on it." A long moment of hesitation. "If… If you want I could sing backup for you?"

The words tasted slightly disgusting as they came out of her mouth, but Rachel was determined not to take them back. Mercedes, Mike and Tina all gaped at her in shock, causing a blush to begin to rise on her cheeks. She knew she fought hard for solos but surely she wasn't _that _bad. Mercedes was the first to recover.

"Thank you. That'll be nice."

Another tentative yet warm smile was shared between the two girls before Tina hesitantly asked if Rachel had anything in mind for her and Mike to sing together.

"We don't want anything too big. But we'd still like to do a duet."

Rachel's face puckered thoughtfully. "Well… We did a fair amount of duets last year so there definitely will be something for you two to do… Hmmm…"

"Which song are you gonna sing?" Mike asked, curious.

Rachel opened her mouth top reply, but a voice from behind them beat her to it. "Obviously some love-sick show tune to try and get Finn back. She's just that pathetically predictable," Santana sneered.

Rachel's face turned bright red and she lowered her eyes to the ground. The three around her shot each other looks and although they all seemed upset not one of them said a word. A row above them, Sam frowned at the scene, losing track of whatever Quinn was telling him. His brow pulled together in a frown as he tried to puzzle it out but he was bumped back to the present by his girlfriend.

"Hello? Are you even here any more?" She was slightly irritated, her eyebrows raised in a way that told him he better have a good excuse.

"Sorry I… I was just wondering…" He hesitated then, wondering if he should voice his question out loud.

"What?"

"What did Rachel do?" he blurted, turning to look at her.

Quinn's face turned blank. "What?" she said again.

"I mean… I know she's annoying. And slightly scary at times. And selfish, I guess. But… I wanna know what she did that makes everybody be so harsh with her. I mean, everybody stands up for everybody in this club. Even she does, when it's not her that's doing the berating. But even Mr Schue is harder on her than anybody else. And nobody- not even Finn when he was her boyfriend- stands up for her when she gets verbally attacked. And being the new guy I don't know why that is." He looked her in the eyes. "What did she do?"

For the longest of moments, Quinn could only look at him. There was a feeling stirring in her gut under the initial shock of Sam's words. It took her a while to realize the feeling was guilt fringed with shame. Sam was still looking at her, his face innocently curious. Finally, she had to shake her head.

"I don't know," she whispered truthfully.

-x-x-x-

"Oh for the love of…" Mercedes stopped dead, her hands crossing across her chest angrily. "The glee club booked the auditorium for this afternoon!"

The five behind her stopped and listened curiously to the muted sounds coming from behind the closed doors. The sound was too quiet for them to make out the song, but it was unmistakable that there were people inside.

"It's probably some of our guys practicing so long," Tina soothed.

"And if it isn't, we'll just kindly and calmly ask them to leave," Rachel said primly, walking forwards and yanking open the doors.

The second she did so, music washed over her. And with the arrival of the sound came the disappearance of her insides and the feeling that her chest was being constricted. She blinked wildly, not understanding her body's reaction to the sounds. Her confused eyes snapped to the stage to find Finn and Santana standing facing each other, obviously very into the song they were singing. But the feeling of the world ending that was gripping her right then was still unexplained. She'd seen Finn and Santana sing together before so she really didn't…

Then they added their voices to the music spilling from the various instruments, and her brain caught up with her reaction.

_"Oh boy, you stand by me _

**_I'm forever yours_**

_**Faithfully**_**." **

They were singing _Faithfully_. Finn was singing their song with _her_. Suddenly the world seemed to hold no air at all, and everything blurred and spun before her eyes. Something painful was clawing at her very heart, and she was sure she was breaking as she stood there.

"I…" Somehow she got words out of her mouth. "I forgot a book. Very important. Have to…"

She stumbled backwards, tripping on her own feet and almost crashing into the people who stood, frozen, behind her. The further away she got, the faster her legs seemed to work. She didn't care what she looked like, what gibberish she was stuttering. All she knew was that she had to get away. As she ran she thought she heard somebody call her name. She didn't stop. Fleeing towards the closest girl's bathroom, she rounded a corner and spotted Jonah. Choking back her coming sobs she marched up to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"I'm in," she said at once. "I'm auditioning for Satine."

He grinned at her. "Brilliant! That's… Are you okay?"

"Just fine." Her voice came out distant. "I have to go."

She almost barrelled her way into an empty cubicle. She was still bolting the door when she dissolved into body-wrenching sobs.


	3. 2: The Art Of Conversation

**AN: **Wow. I never imagined I'd get so many reviews for this… To each and every person who read, reviewed, faved, alerted and so on: THANK YOU. I'd love to be able to reply to each one of you individually but this isn't my account so I cannot. But just know that all your reviews warmed my heart. And I will try my utmost, utmost best not to disappoint any of you.

This chapter is just as short as the first. (Sorry). It also has very little to do with the 'main' plot. That's why I'm posting this so soon: to say sorry and thanks for all the love. This chapter focuses on the 'sub-plot' ie: Rachel and her non-romantic relationships. I apologize for any OCC-ness. But I do have to say that I think the first two talks can, and should, happen.

Next chapter is where the **excitement **happens. And then we'll start getting on a roll ;) Hope you enjoy this short little character study of a chapter

Reviews will be adored =]

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Glee

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**Chapter Two: The Art Of Conversation**

It was a very long time later that Rachel finally managed to get herself under control. Finally picking herself up from the floor she dusted herself off half-heartedly and then unlocked the cubicle door. She didn't even bother looking at herself in the mirror- she knew she looked a mess. She was in the process of washing her face when the bathroom door opened and none other than Quinn stepped in.

Both girls froze, staring at each other wearily as though expecting an attack at any moment. When the awkwardness rose to a fever pitch Rachel lowered her eyes and went back to washing her face. Quinn shifted around, not used to feeling so awkward. As she watched the shorter girl try and scrub her face clean she couldn't help but remember Sam's question to her earlier that day. What had Rachel done wrong? Almost slyly her brain provided her with the answers she didn't really want to hear. Rachel had never really fought back. Rachel had never crumbled under their abuse. Rachel had continued to hold herself high, silent and proud and seemingly inviting insult after insult. That was what Rachel had done.

"I'm sorry."

The croaky half-whisper made the cheerleader jump. For a split-second she didn't know where the voice had come from, but then her slightly wide eyes zoned in on Rachel looking at her. The brunette swallowed.

"For making you feel like this," she clarified. "I never knew just how… devastating it felt to see him and somebody else… To hear them… I… I'm sorry I was the reason you felt like this." Another tear squeezed itself from Rachel's eyelid.

For the second time that day, Quinn found herself shocked speechless. Never in a million years had she expected to hear an apology from Rachel. Especially not after all she'd done to the girl. And yet here they were, standing in a bathroom, living out a scene that Quinn suddenly realized was very alike the one just after Finn had found out about the baby. The overwhelming desire to ask the same question as before- _"Why don't you hate me?"_- bubbled up through her, but she swallowed it down.

"As much as I hate saying this… I wasn't innocent." She replied softly.

Rachel gave her a pathetic attempt at a smile. "Neither was I."

The head Cheerio stared at her for a minute longer before she allowed herself to speak. "Kissing Noah Puckerman was possibly the stupidest thing we've ever done."

A slightly hysterical laugh escaped Rachel's lips. "I can't argue with that." There was a long stretch of silence in which the two girls continued in their primping. Then, suddenly, Rachel turned back to her. "Do you think… Do you think we could stop hating each other? I know it's impossible to ask us to be friends. But… Could we try to be… friendly acquaintances?"

Light eyes stared into dark for so long that Rachel started blushing, obviously wishing she hadn't spoken. She opened her mouth to take back the last sentence but Quinn beat her to it.

"I think we can manage that."

Both girls smiled very tentatively at each other, cautious yet strangely optimistic.

-x-x-x-

By the time Finn got home all he wanted to do was kill as many living or living-dead objects on his videogames as possible before he passed out from sheer exhaustion. He didn't really know what he'd expected when he returned to school, but it hadn't been what was currently happening. He'd thought (and, if he was being very honest with himself, partly hoped) that Rachel would continue to follow him around like a wounded puppy, begging him to take her back. But instead she hadn't even looked at him the whole day. And while the still-angry side of him was very glad she was keeping her distance, there was a bit of him that was very hurt at her ignoring him.

Then again, he supposed it could be worse. She could start kissing Puck right in front of everybody. Even the thought of the image made him want to be sick and kill something really alive.

Shouldering his way into his kitchen to get something to eat and drink, he didn't even notice Kurt was also in the room until his new brother greeted him. Finn replied with an uncivilised grunt, rooting around in the refrigerator. Kurt waited a while before he spoke.

"Finn, I know the wedding was really soon and whatever, but I really do see you and your mom as family."

With the ham in one hand and the mustard in the other, Finn turned to look at him blankly. "Err… Thanks, Kurt. I see you and your dad the same way."

He returned to his sandwich-making only to have Kurt continue in what was obviously a planned speech.

"And as family I'll stand up for you and defend you against anybody. Even my friends. Especially those who are new friends."

"Uhm… Okay…"

Kurt went barrelling on, and Finn suddenly realized that their conversation was more like a monologue: Kurt would continue speaking no matter what his replies were.

"But there are some things that even I will stand against you for. Like racism. Or destroying the environment." Finn went back to making his sandwich. "Or killing somebody. Or singing _Faithfully _with Santana."

The taller boy froze for an instant before whirling back around, the lone piece of cheese flapping pathetically in his hand. "How'd you know about that?"

"Mercedes keeps me up-to-date with the gossip," Kurt said impatiently, obviously not interested in his texting habits. "You know what she told me in this afternoon's message?"

"I don't want to," Finn spat, face suddenly rather hostile.

Kurt ignored him. "She said they were worried about Rachel. 'They' being her, Tina, Mike, Arite and Quinn. _Quinn_, Finn. Quinn being even remotely worried about Rachel is not something that happens every century."

"I don't care! The song doesn't belong to anybody! And Rachel's the one who's proven she doesn't give a damn about our relationship! She's the one who cheated on me. Like Quinn! So of course she'll be worried about Rachel- she's made from the same skank material!"

Abruptly, the angry football player shut up. A slightly horrified expression crossed his face as the words he'd just said really sank in. He looked, Kurt realized, as he had after the blow-up between the two of them in Kurt's newly decorated room. Half angry and half ashamed, Finn began to splutter incoherent things in his defence. Kurt slowly rose to his feet.

"I'm not going to lecture you," he said quietly.

"Yeah? Well this sure sounds like one!"

He ignored him. "I'm just going to give you some advice. Think carefully about what you're doing. You're angry, and you have right to be. But the anger isn't going to last. And so you need to really ask yourself what you feel underneath it all. Because if you carry on like this, you _will _make her detest you. And that's alright if you know for a fact that you hate her. But if you're not sure, then you need to stop. Or else you'll wake up from your rage one day and realize you want her and it will be eons too late."

Finn was left in the kitchen in oppressive silence, feeling as limp as the squished cheese in his hands.

-x-x-x-

The glee-chatter was being allowed for longer that day as Mr Schuester had yet to emerge from his office. There had been some curiosity as to his doings, but most people were content to have their conversations continue. The hubbub died down as Mr Schue and Rachel both exited his office, faces oddly serious.

"Alright, guys, I have an announcement." All eyes turned to him. "Rachel won't be in glee-"

The rest of his sentence was instantly drowned out but a babble of voices and alarmed looks directed at the small brunette and their teacher. By then everybody had heard of what had happened in the auditorium the day before, but nobody had expected Rachel to react to it by quitting.

"Okay, calm down. Calm down! As I was saying, Rachel won't be with us in glee all the time any more. She's been cast in the Lima Theatre Guild's new play and so some practices she'll be rehearsing for that."

"Glee still comes first," she assured them. "If you guys need me I'll be here no matter what. I just felt the opportunity too good to pass up. Because we have a lot of competent singers here now, I need to find my spotlight elsewhere."

It was a mark of how they actually had grown closer that everybody knew that last bit wasn't serious. It was a mark of how much Rachel had matured that she really wasn't being serious.

"What play you doing?" Mercedes asked, breaking the slightly awkward silence.

"A play adaptation of _Moulin Rouge_," Rachel replied with a wan smile.

"Nice," Tina approved, and Mercedes made an impressed noise. "Any roles still open?"

"No big ones, no. But we're still looking for a bigger woman chorus. You know, to do numbers such as _Sparkling Diamonds_."

"Huh. Well I've always liked those feathers…" Mercedes mused.

Rachel, to their surprise, beamed. "You really should audition." She turned to the rest of the girls, carefully avoiding eye contact with Santana. "All of you should. We can show Lima what the girls of glee are made of."

There were some murmurings from both genders at that, but the girls looked rather interested. Quinn had been keeping an eye on Finn the entire time, and so she'd seen his reaction to Rachel's apparent departure. He'd looked more devastated than anybody else in the room. Now he was carefully trying not to look at her, a seemingly impossible feat. His expression was a mixture of confusion, anger, relief, regret and loathing. It intrigued her a little bit- she hadn't seen anything like it when they'd broken up. Turning away from her ex, she decided to dive into the deep end of her and Rachel's new friendly acquaintance status.

"Just don't do a Brangelina on us and fall in love with whoever is playing Christian," she teased.

Rachel rewarded her with a grin before she winced. "Don't worry. I've had enough of romance to last me a lifetime."

It was only because she'd been looking for it that Quinn saw Finn's flinch and the way his hands curled into fists at her words.


	4. 3: Three Boys, Two Clubs And One Heart

**AN: **Hey again, guys! Thanks so much for the positive response to this. It really, honestly warms my heart. And it so makes me write faster. This chapter is a bit longer, and more plot-filled. And, because the 6th of Feb is coming pretty quickly (YESS!) I will now start uploading two chapters a week so I can be done with the fic by the next real episode of , from here on the number of songs featured will increase quite dramatically. If you have the songs mentioned I do recommend putting them on while reading to optimise your fanfiction experience ;)

Reviews will be adored =]

_One person singing. _

**_Two or more people singing_**

_-Another person coming into the song _

**Disclaimer: **None of it is mine.

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**Chapter Three: Three Boys, Two Clubs and One Heart**

The nervousness that had settled almost permanently into the pit of Rachel's stomach was finally starting to go away. It was the third day of school and she was yet to even look Finn in the eyes. Maybe she'd just been overdramatic as usual. Maybe things would remain this easy. She almost laughed out loud at that thought. Yeah, things were easier. But in a way they were also much more difficult. She felt secure avoiding Finn but she also wanted little else than to throw herself back into his arms.

As though those thoughts called him he was suddenly in front of her, blocking her entry into the choir room. Both of them froze like deer in the headlights of an oncoming truck. Rachel felt her heart hammering loudly against her chest and no matter how much she wanted to she couldn't bring herself to look away from the pair of eyes she loved the most. She wasn't really sure how long they both stood there, staring and silent, before the outside world again caught up with them.

"Finn?" Mr Schuester's voice was slightly gentle. "Practice is about to start."

"Right," Finn replied, without moving an inch.

Hearing his voice so close to her sent Rachel's body in waves of agony and pleasure all at the same time. She gulped against the lump in her throat and his face changed from its slightly blank hostility to something different, something warmer. Then Sam and Quinn appeared at the door and they were forced to move, scurrying in and taking seats at opposite sides of the room again. Rachel could feel her face flaming from many emotions and she only noticed she was shaking when Mercedes put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Okay! So, who's ready to start us off with their recycled song?" There was a rather pregnant pause. "Come on, guys! We've been here three days already! Somebody's gotta have something!"

"We do, Mr Schuester." The entire club swivelled around to face Santana as she stood. Even Mr Schuster looked surprised. "Finn and I worked on it all Monday afternoon."

Rachel felt like she'd been kicked in the gut. Monday in the auditorium had been bad enough as it was. How was she supposed to sit through the entire song? Finn, it appeared, was having second thoughts.

"Come on, 'Tana. We were just messing around with stuff." He looked highly uncomfortable. "We don't really have-"

"Uh, yeah we do. We did it perfectly when we practiced. Come on."

"Uhm… Okay then. Everybody give it up for Finn and Santana." Mr Schuester looked confused and slightly apprehensive as he sat down, eying the arguing two as Santana almost dragged Finn to the front.

"Mr Schue!" He blinked as Mercedes' hand shot into the air. "I have to… be excused. Lady stuff, you know."

"Oh. Sure, Mercedes."

"Can Rachel come along? I need… Uhm… Moral support…"

A look of comprehension flittered across the teacher's face. He glanced at an irritated Santana and upset Finn before nodding at Mercedes. Quickly the diva stood, grabbing hold of Rachel's arm and half tugging her from the room.

"Thank you," Rachel whispered, sounding defeated.

Mercedes just picked up the pace, pulling Rachel with her towards the furthest girl's bathroom. They still heard the opening notes to _Faithfully _as they charged down the corridor.

-x-x-x-

Mercedes and Rachel left the school together after glee practice, talking about lighter topics as they tried to stave off the tension that had hung in the choir room. Walking across the parking lot the two were intercepted by Quinn, Sam, Tina and Mike. Tina's soft face was full of concern.

"You okay?" she asked Rachel quietly.

The brunette gave her a small smile back. "Yeah, I'm good."

"So…" Mike hesitated for a second before asking his first question again. "What are you going to sing?"

Rachel was stopped from answering once again.

"Make it something badass."

The small group turned in surprise to the form of Puck leaning against the wall. His eyes were on Rachel, their expression unreadable.

"Being… you-know-what… is what got me into this mess in the first place. Add that to the events that occurred after _Run, Joey, Run _and I think I'm going to stay innocent, thanks very much."

He gave her his very best Puck-look. "You wanna get back at him in another way? My body's free."

Rachel let out a scoffing noise, rolling her eyes dramatically and turning to flounce away. She'd taken all of three steps when Puck's hand grabbed her wrist. He spun her around to face him effortlessly and she was left blinking up at him. Both of them seemed to have forgotten their audience.

"Geesh, relax. I was only kidding," he sighed, sounding exasperated. She just scowled up at him and tugged her hand free from his grasp. "Seriously, though. We should sing one of your old duets together. What about that really bad one about the air?"

"Noah." She sounded slightly worn. "I'm not going to sing with you. It's basically the same as kissing you. I can't do that to him. I don't _want _to do that to him again."

"So you're just going to let him walk all over you?" He sounded mad, for some unknown reason.

"Please," was all she whispered, her gaze imploring.

Something in his stance changed and softened. Shoving his hands into his jean pockets he regarded her. "So what are you going to sing?"

Rachel was finally able to answer. "The mash-up of _Borderline _and _Open Your Heart _that we did to psych you guys up for doing Madonna. Except this time I'm singing it alone. A stance of independence and-"

"Okay, okay." He seemed to shudder at the prospect of having to sit through another one of her long spiels. "Can you do that, though?"

Rachel gave him a look. "Vocally, I can do just about anything."

He had to grin at the return of her usual nature. With a slight nod of her head Rachel turned away and began to make her way to her car.

"Hey, Berry." Her face was curious as she faced Puck again. "I wasn't only offering to sing with you to get back at him. I just… You know. If you ever need help…"

Her face pulled into a soft smile that reached all the way into her eyes. "Thank you, Noah."

And then he was gone as suddenly as he had appeared, and Rachel was in front of them again. They all felt slightly out-of-place, like the world had turned upside down.

"Did that really just happen?" Mercedes wondered out loud.

"Was that _really _Puckerman?" Tina asked, her eyes wide. "He seemed so… soft…"

Rachel said nothing and steered the conversation onto other topics. Quinn was silent as they walked, her head buzzing with thoughts and memories. She had seen Puck get that gentle air about him before when he had been around her. And although she knew she couldn't ever be with him, there had been a stirring of unease in her gut at the way he'd looked at Rachel. She now understood a bit of where Finn was coming from. Not that she was jealous. At all. It was just…

"_This isn't just another hookup for me." _

With a small, sad smile she squeezed Sam's hand tighter and let that past drift to the past.

-x-x-x-

"Right! So we've had Finn and Santana"- Mr Schue gave them a brief look that let the rest of the club know he'd voiced his opinions on their choice of song- "and Artie and Brittany doing their stuff so far. Who's next?"

A little hesitantly, Rachel rose to her feet. Now that she was sure of what she was going to do, she wanted to get it over and done with. She'd practiced it the whole of the previous afternoon, mentally preparing herself for the stand she was going to take in front of Finn. Mr Schuester noticed her and gave her a warm smile, patting her on the shoulder almost reflexively.

"Alright! Do I even need to ask if it's a solo or duet, Rachel?"

There was a scattering of laughter from the club members, but seeing as most of it wasn't intended to hurt her, Rachel just smiled and took her preferred spot at centre stage.

"I will be changing the previously sung duet mash-up of _Borderline _and _Open Your Heart _by Madonna into a solo. Not only will this establish my strength and ability as a single, independent woman but it will also tie in with the ideals and vision Madonna has always had."

Taking a deep breath after her speech, Rachel nodded to Brad who began to play the opening notes to the song. With her head held high, Rachel looked at everybody except Finn and Santana as she sang. A part of her couldn't help but remember the time when he'd sung it with her.

"_Something in the way_

_You love me won't let me be _

_I don't wanna be your prisoner _

_So baby won't you set me free" _

Slipping into the music, Rachel brought her hands up to her chest in a pleading gesture, picturing herself singing the song to Finn even though she was still resolutely refusing to look at him.

"_Stop playing with my heart_

_Finish what you start _

_When you make my love come down _

_If you want me let me know _

_Baby let it show" _

She steadied her pose on the floor, getting ready to sing both voices in their once-upon-a-time duet with all she had.

"_Honey don't you fool around_

_-Don't try to resist me" _

She nearly leapt out of her skin when somebody started singing with her. For a second, she was sure she was dreaming. There was _no way _Puck was singing with her. In front of everybody. He didn't even like Madonna.

"_Open your heart to me_

_Baby, I'll hold the lock and you hold the key" _

It was more out of an automatic response than anything else that she filled in where she was supposed to.

"_**Open your heart to me **_

_**Darling, I'll give you love if you **_

_You turn my key_

_-Something in your eyes is_

_Making such a fool of me" _

While she sang she gave Puck a confused look, trying to enquire what exactly he thought he was doing. He just grinned at her and began stalking forwards in a very sexy, badass manner as he echoed her.

"_You're making me _

_You're making such a fool of me_"

As he advanced she began backing up. Except this time it was different to what she had been doing with Finn. With him it had been a playful summoning, almost. With Puck it was a real desire to back up so she could sort the whole confusing mess out. And yet, she still continued to sing.

"_I see you on the street_

_**And you walk on by **_

_-You're on the street_

_I see you and you walk on by" _

She whirled away from him, facing the audience instead and wrapping her arms around herself in a semblance of being held so he would not get the crazy idea that he had to hold her.

"_When you hold me in your arms_

_**You love me till I just can't see**__" _

Somehow Puck didn't seem to be getting the message she was trying desperately to send out. Because when he sang the chord of "Oh's" he came right up behind her and did each one to a lower point of her neck, arching down her body as he went. Shivering slightly at his actions she whirled away again before continuing.

"_And so you choose to look the other way_

_**Well I've got something to say **_

_**Open your heart to me **_

_**Baby, I'll hold the lock and you hold the key **_

_**Open your heart to me **_

_**Darling, I'll give you love if you**_

_**You turn **__the key" _

Somewhere in that last chorus, Rachel began to forget who she was singing with. Suddenly everybody else seemed to disappear, and it was only her and Puck singing. She could see the teasing smirk on his face, and she wanted to laugh at it. _Oh, what the heck_. As she held in her long note, she stopped running and vowed to sashay around with him for the rest of the song, enjoying his company.

"_Open your heart I'll make you love me _

_'ll hold the lock and you hold the key_

_**Open your heart to me **_

_**Darling, I'll give you love if you **_

_**You turn the key **_

_**Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh **_

_**Open your heart with the key." **_

They ended up closer together than Rachel would have liked, grinning at each other as the song gripped both of her hearts. It was only then that the full knowledge hit her: she'd actually sung a duet with Noah Puckerman. The applause from the rest of the people brought them back to the present, and Rachel took a step back.

"That was really great, guys," Mr Schue enthused, looking impressed. "Although… I thought you said it was a solo?"

"I just felt the urge," Puck said with a shrug, making a few people laugh.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "What is it about the word 'no' that you don't understand?" she asked him privately.

"All of it. It's such a difficult concept."

She rolled her eyes again and, with a sigh, walked off with a tiny smile of thanks in his direction. It was Artie who noticed Finn's tight posture first.

"Hey, are you okay? You look like you've got a major stomach ache." The brunette looked at the way Finn's hands were clenched in alarm.

"I'm fine," Finn spat, not unclenching his posture and still glaring holes into the back of his ex-best friend's head.

-x-x-x-

Mr Schuster's comments on Quinn's rendition of _True Colours _were interrupted by Rachel coming into the choir room. From the look on her face, the brunette was very glad it was Friday.

"Sorry I'm late, Mr Schue. Rehearsal was a total fiasco- our Christian didn't show up."

"Nobody was able to get hold of him?" Mr Schuester was curious.

"I don't know," Rachel replied, sinking into a chair. "Mr Duncan was trying to get hold of him the whole time. He finally got somebody on the phone but he went outside to take the call. There was a lot of muted yelling and according to Lisa he was pacing a lot. But I was already late so I left."

"Who's playing him, anyway?" Mercedes asked.

"A guy from Dalton who graduated last year. Steven something."

"He good?"

She shrugged. "He's okay. He goes flat really easily. Our guys could totally take him."

There was whooping and muscle-flexing from the guys. Laughing, Mr Schue went on with his talk. It was only about thirty minutes later when there was a knock on the door. Jonah entered, his face grim.

"Sorry to interrupt. Rach, Steven's been in a car accident."

"Oh my gosh." Rachel's eyes grew wide. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"He'll be fine. Just not in time for the concert." Rachel groaned. "Mr Duncan found somebody else, though. Some college student who says he'll be happy to do this for us as part of his 'community service' or something." Jonah pulled a face, then shrugged. "Mr Duncan wants you to come meet him."

Rachel cast a look at Mr Schuester who nodded his permission. With an apology from both of them, the two slipped out the door. It wasn't even fifteen minutes later that Rachel came back. The door flew open with enough force to make almost everybody jump. Rachel stormed in, her face black thunder and her fists clenched. She looked positively spitting mad.

"Woah… Rachel…" Mr Schuester let out a slightly nervous laugh. "What happened? Is he not up to standard?"

"No he is _not_," Rachel spat, folding her arms viciously. "He is not suited for the role _at all_."

"Then what role do you propose he's suited for?" Santana asked, scathing and sarcastic.

For once, Rachel didn't notice her tone. "The lowest of understudies!" she cried, throwing her hands up with her pent-up emotion. "Selling tickets! Dancing way in the back! Unclogging the toilets!"

"Rachel!" Mr Schue was slightly shocked. "Calm down. It can't be all that bad. Mr Duncan knows what he's doing. Now maybe he isn't that great of a person, but he's surely got talent. So just… push aside your personal feelings and let yourself _act _with him."

"Yeah, come'n Rachel. You're a professional. You know personal feelings should be left out of the biz," said a calm voice from the doorway.

Most of the club gasped out loud, eyes boggling as they saw the figure. Rachel snarled over their gasping.

"_Go away, Jesse_."

Jesse grinned almost patronisingly at her, shouldering himself away from the doorframe and entering the room calmly. Rachel bristled, and he held up his hands.

"Okay, look. I know I did a couple of things that probably made you a little mad at me." Rachel snorted so loudly she could have rivalled a horse. "But it's like Mr Schue said- I'm a good actor. You _know_ we make magic together." Rachel seriously looked like she wanted to hit him. "So all personal baggage aside, I think you should stop the dramatics and just… go with it."

He gave her the same smile that had melted her heart a year ago. Her eyes narrowed, anger and hurt radiating off her in waves.

"Go jump in a lake," she snapped.

He just grinned wider. But somehow, it didn't seem mocking. "You know, I've actually missed your drama. Take the weekend to think it over. Come Monday morning you'll have changed your mind." He nodded his head to Mr Schuester. "Good to see you again, Mr Schue."

And with that he sauntered out with all his charm and cool still in place. With a growl of half frustration, half despair, Rachel flung her arms up in the air as the glee club slowly came out of their surprised stupor.

* * *

**AN 2: **Oh yes, Jesse's back! You gotta love him, even if you hate him. On a different note, I've just found out that in episode eleven Puck and Rachel will apparently be singing a duet. Now while I'm not a fan of Romantic!Puckelberry in any way, a Puck/Rachel duet has always been on my 'Please, please, please do!' list. That, and a Rachel/Kurt duet. And this season, I'm apparently getting both of my wishes granted! (The Rachel/Kurt duets were totally to die for. Love, love, love). This almost makes up for the fact that Ryan Murphy misled the Finchel fans and threw a breakup at us out of the blue before going on a two-month hiatus.

Yeah, right. =[


	5. 4: Drama

**AN: **My readers? Yeah, they're totally awesome. =] It's reached the point where I've gotten just over five reviews per chapter on average. **FIVE**. *Excited squealing*

Please forgive any mistakes in the lyrics. Every site I looked at had a different set of them. In the end I chose the ones that appeared the most and read through them as diligently as I could while listening to the songs on my iPod at full blast. At least now there's a less chance I'll be sued for copyright infringement :/

Reviews will be adored =]

_One person singing. _

_**Two or more people singing**_

_-Another person coming into the song _

**Disclaimer: **I own none of it.

* * *

**Chapter Four: Drama **

The weekend passed rather uneventfully for the members of McKinley's glee club. But the re-appearance of one Jesse St James was always at the back of their minds, for some more than others. When Monday morning's free period rolled around all the members of the club moved towards the auditorium in an unspoken agreement that they just had to be around to see what happened between their diva and her ex-ex-boyfriend. Filing as silently as they could into the seats, they allowed themselves to be amused by Jonah and Mr Duncan yelling at their Chocolat for forgetting his line.

"It's _one line_, Marco. Just one," Jonah almost pleaded. "All you have to say is 'I understand'."

"Kid, you dance and sing brilliantly. But we can't do this without the line."

"I'll try," Marco mumbled, fiddling with his lavish waistcoat uncomfortably.

"Right." Mr Duncan looked haggard already. "Now onto the next drama. Miss Berry, Mr St James?"

Rachel and Jesse both entered from opposite sides of the stage. Rachel was obviously being fitted for one of her costumes, as she was dressed in a sleek red dress that still had loose material flapping everywhere. Mercedes shot Quinn a knowing look as she caught Finn staring.

"Alright. Now what exactly is the problem, here?"

"He is!" Rachel exploded at once, pointing an accusing finger at Jesse. "He is impossible to work with!"

"She's being over-dramatic. As usual," Jesse responded, making it sound more like a compliment than anything else.

"There is no way I-" Rachel started again.

"Look, if you just give me a chance-" Jesse cut across her.

"To do _what_?" Rachel almost shrieked, losing her self-control as the memories and distain she had with him finally won out.

Jesse remained calm, giving her a look that had melted many a girl's heart. Rachel remained stoic, quietly seething. The glee club was slightly fascinated: they'd never seen Rachel quite so angry before.

"To show you why this can work despite our, uh, history together." When nobody objected, he signaled to the band. "_Come What May_ like we practiced."

The notes to the song started and Jesse casually took off his thick jacket so he stood only in a very stylish white shirt. A few of the girls from the show seated around the glee kids tittered and blushed. Jesse took a few steps toward Rachel, obviously intent on starting to sing right in front of her, but he wisely stopped when he saw her face. He didn't want to know what the drama queen would do to him if he pushed her too much. And so instead he stood a little way off, looking more at home on the stage than the curtains did.

_"Never knew I could feel like this _

_Like I've never seen the sky before _

_Want to vanish inside your kiss _

_Every day I love you more and more" _

Obviously brave enough now to disregard the danger, he turned right to Rachel, locking her with his gaze and making it apparent he was singing only to her.

_"Listen to my heart _

_Can you hear it sing? _

_Telling me to give _

_You everything _

_Seasons may change _

_Winter to Spring _

_But I will love you _

_Until the end of time _

_Come what may _

_Come what may" _

As he took on the chorus he began to venture forward slowly, like one would with a scared animal. By the time he'd gotten to the last line, he was right in front of her. Almost daringly he reached out and grabbed her hand in both of his, holding it to his chest in almost adoration.

_"I will love you _

_Until my dying day" _

Rachel did not yank her hand away or even glare at him. Instead she allowed herself to be pulled to the middle of the stage, red material flowing prettily as she moved. Still half looking at Jesse, she began her bit.

_"Suddenly the world _

_Seems such a perfect place _

_Suddenly it moves _

_With such a perfect grace _

_**Suddenly my life doesn't**_

_**Seem such a waste **_

_It all revolves around you" _

And both of them seemed to switch off to the outside world. They had eyes and movements only for each other, revolving slowly in the center of the stage. And where before Rachel had been holding back she now let loose everything, her full power vibrating off the walls as it mingled perfectly with his.

_**"And there's no mountain too high **_

_**No river too wide **_

_**Sing out this song **_

_**And I'll be there by your side **_

_**Storm clouds may gather and stars may collide **_

_But I'll love you_

_-I'll love you _

_-Until the end _

_-Until the end _

_**Of time **_

_**Come what may **_

_**Come what may **_

_**I will love you **_

_**Until my dying day" **_

There was an awed hush in the audience as everybody watched them sing. Even some people who had been passing had stopped by the doors to listen and watch.

"My soul... They're freaking amazing together!" a nameless redhead directly in front of the glee kids exclaimed.

"Bloody amazing," her friend agreed, eyes just as wide.

Those in the glee club were taken back to when Jesse had still been in their school. Somehow the many duets the two had done back then didn't compare with what they were hearing now. Artie wisely put it down to them being deafened by their jealousy before. Sam, who had been quickly filled in about Jesse by Quinn, couldn't seem to keep his mouth closed. The two singers finally brought the song to a close, landing smartly on the notes and not wavering for a second. Both of them stood still as the room erupted into applause, staring at each other and panting slightly.

"Well, Miss Berry? What do you say?" Herb Duncan looked like he was praying very hard that Rachel would change her mind.

Rachel's lips pursed for a while before she sighed. "Fine. I'll act with you."

There were whoops and cheers from the drama kids in the room, while the majority of the glee club didn't know what to feel about the turn of events. Finn was not part of the majority: he was scowling heavily, obviously deep in thought. As Mr Schue ushered them out of the auditorium, Jesse launched into _Your Song_, once again making a show of singing it just for Rachel.

"I know he's a total douche but... Man he sounds good," Tina said as they walked away.

Only three people didn't at least grudgingly agree.

-x-x-x-

Rachel looked rather happy when she entered the choir room that afternoon with her usual flair. Mercedes immediately beckoned her over and had a hushed conversation with her about Jesse and how she was handling it. Tina and Quinn half listened in, wanting the news as well.

"Well, as long as you're sure," Mercedes finally said, straightening in her chair. "Kurt told me to tell you that you should beware of a guy that uses that much hair gel."

Rachel laughed in response. "Oh, don't worry. I know how to handle Jesse," she winked.

Tina and Mercedes giggled while Mike laughed and Quinn shook her head. Finn frowned. The frown turned into a glower when Puck entered and flung himself down in the seat right next to Rachel's. As though it was the most natural thing in the world he began conversing with her. Finn heard the words 'Friday night', 'movie' and 'new vegan pizza'. Rachel's smile grew broader and Tina nudged Mike in a knowing way. Finn felt like he had swallowed something heavy and extremely disgusting. He wasn't really sure who was worse: Puck or Jesse. He'd never won the battle against either of them: Jesse had lost because he had taken himself out of the equation. At the sound of Rachel and Puck laughing together, Finn knew he had to do something stupid. Something brash and possibly mean. Something to stop them being happy together; something to make them feel even a little bit bad. Mr Schuester presented him with the something he needed.

"So, guys. Before we start with this week's assignment is there anybody who got hit with a song over the weekend that they feel they just _have _to recycle?"

He wasn't really expecting anybody to want to do the previous week's assignment again. That was why he was so utterly thrown when Finn, of all people, raised his hand. The entire glee club gaped at him, wondering why his face and eyes were so dark. After figuring that he was probably trying to make up for his uncouth song selection of the previous week Mr Schue motioned him to the front. Finn almost stomped to the band and told them the song under his breath. There were a few raised eyebrows, but then they shrugged and got ready. Finn stood himself in the middle of the floor, stonily glaring at the far wall. When the opening chords to the song came, many eyes widened in shock or muted horror.

_"Where it began _

_I can't begin to knowin'_

_But then I know it's _

_Growing strong." _

Rachel's mouth had fallen open, a shocked yet confused look on her face. Puck just sat frozen next to her. Finn was smug to see neither of them were smiling any more.

_"Wasn't the Spring _

_And Spring became Summer _

_Who'd have believed _

_You'd come along?" _

Finally, Finn's gaze focused fully on Rachel. There was enough hurt and anger there to make her heart constrict painfully in her chest.

_"Hands, touching hands _

_Reaching out_

_Touching me _

_Touching you" _

At that moment, the hurt in Rachel's heart intensified until it was nearly unbearable. Because Finn looked away from her and to Puck. It was only for a moment, but she understood. Finn wasn't sure why he was singing- if it was just a way to release his anger or if he really meant the words to be just for her. And that hurt more than she could formulate into words.

_"Sweet Caroline _

_Good times never seem so good_

_I've been inclined _

_To believe they never would_

_Oh, sweet Caroline _

_Good times never seem so good _

_I've been inclined _

_To believe they never would" _

Nobody had sung along this time and the applause after the last notes had died away was scant and hesitant. Finn returned to his seat without looking at either Rachel or Puck again. Mr Schue returned to the front, but he didn't seem to know what to say. The awkward, slightly embarrassed silence stretched.

Until Puck broke it. "I totally did it better."

Mr Schuester took that as his cue to begin to describe the week's new assignment and lesson very loudly and very energetically. Those sitting between Finn and Puck could feel the former boy's glare as though it was physical heat.

-x-x-x-

They heard Rachel's return to the choir room first. She had been rather relieved to be called out halfway through practice, and given the tense atmosphere Mr Schue hadn't minded either. She'd promised to return before the practice ended so she could be given a run-down of what had been said and receive the assignment of the week. They hadn't expected her to return quite so loudly. A male voice joined hers, and their ears pricked up. It appeared as though Rachel was having a rather heated argument with her saintly male lead. She exploded into the choir room, making a few people jump. Her expression was highly irritated and almost as angry as the first time she'd flamboyantly entered the room.

"Leave me alone!" she yelled over her shoulder, stomping quite loudly for her small height.

"Not until you _listen _to me!" Jesse appeared at the door, his usually calm expression also shattered.

"I will when you stop talking absolute... hogwash!"

"I'm _not_, Rachel, I'm telling you the truth!" he insisted.

"Well forgive me for not believing you! Somehow I think I've heard this all from you before."

He winced slightly, and lowered his voice. "I already said I'm sorry about that, okay? I didn't mean for it to get quite so serious. Your mom-"

"Don't. Bring. Her. Into. This," Rachel spat.

Jesse raised his hands in an appeasing gesture. "Okay. Okay. Look. Circumstances made things a little difficult. But that's the way epic love stories work, Rachel. No matter what the obstacle or the time lapse, the love stays strong and true. The arguments and hurt all fade away with the magic and the music."

Someone in the watching glee club made a disgusted noise. Rachel folded her arms across her chest.

"That still doesn't negate all the things you did. You _used _me, Jesse. For what, I'm not even sure. And then you dumped me and broke my heart."

"Again: you broke mine first. But that should tell you two things." He moved closer to her. "One: I was in it deep and true enough to get my heart broken. And two: I really do care a lot about you because I'm willing to look past that and to the future where we can make a wonderful life together." Rachel gaped at him and he looked her imploringly in the face. "I love you, Rachel. And I've missed you ever since I left. It got so bad, I couldn't even sing the songs we sang together. And that's just... Wrong."

Rachel shut her eyes as though she was praying for patience. "Jesse... The only reason you ever lo... liked me was because you had to get close to me."

"Not true," he insisted. "It started out that way but... Oh Rachel... I meant most of what I said. It wasn't all an act. Being with you and all your drama and seeing the way you shine even when you're not performing... I fell in love with that. That's why I contacted Mr Duncan. I wanted to be with you again." Rachel began to argue with him again and he sighed before cutting across her. "Okay, fine. I see that you don't believe me. I suppose my acting skills are so great that they have completely desensitized you to my true love's scent."

She looked half bemused by his words and half relieved he finally seemed to be listening. "Good, now-"

"But I will make you see."

"Wai... W... What?"

A very Jesse-like smile stole across his face. "I am going to woo you, Rachel Berry. By the end of this play you will see how much I care for you. Then we will have one of those twirling hug things and you will be by my side again. And then we will become the greatest star couple the world has ever known."

"N... Jes-"

"Just you wait, Rachel. You _will _be mine."

With a smirk and a half-bow he waltzed out of the room, leaving a spluttering Rachel behind. For a moment more she stood, gaping like a fish on dry land, before she growled and flung herself into a chair before burying her face in her hands. Trying not to laugh- because the situation actually wasn't funny- Mercedes soothingly rubbed her shoulders.


	6. 5: Wooing Rachel Berry

**AN: **I am basking in reviews! They are all so awesome! In celebration, this next chapter is much longer than any of the others. And this, dear readers, is sort of the climax. My gem, so to speak. I'm rather happy with this one, but I still want your opinions, mkay? =] I didn't make up any quote, explanation or definition in this chapter- all of it was taken from the web. (It's rather scary how many flower websites there are.)

Okay so here is where the rating goes up a little bit. There's going to be one or two dirty innuendos in here and one pretty blatant reference. And quite a few dirty words. Don't worry- the worst are patched up a bit. There's nothing that pushes it all the way to 'M' though.

Reviews will be adored =]

_One person singing. _

_**Two or more people singing**_

_-Another person coming into the song _

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of it.

* * *

**Chapter Five: Wooing Rachel Berry  
**

The assembly that had been planned for the next morning got abruptly cancelled. Nobody was told why (a sure sign that it was something that would make the top of the gossip charts) and all the students were told to go to their various after-school activities to hang around and wait. Those who had nothing after school were sent to the detention hall- a common meeting place for most of them. It was because of this that the glee kids all found themselves lounging around in the choir room. Since Ms Sylvester and Coach Beiste were both tasked with keeping the more unruly kids in order, the football kids and the Cheerios were also present.

In fact, the only one who wasn't joking, gossiping, enthusing about _Halo _or playing catch with a sweatshirt was Puck. The mystery of his whereabouts was solved soon, however, as he entered the choir room about ten minutes into the extra free period. Those who saw what he was carrying stopped talking at once, prompting the rest of the club to look also. In his hands he held a huge bunch of some of the most beautiful orchids they had ever laid eyes on. He dumped them unceremoniously in Rachel's lap. She gaped wordlessly at him, a feat that made him grin before he explained.

"On my way here I ran into some freshman I had some revenge to extract on and he was carrying them. He begged me not to crush them when I shoved him in the locker and, being the reformed man I am, I saved them. Only afterwards did I see the card." He whipped out a bright purple piece of paper adorned with shiny gold stars. "'Rachel'" he read in a mock haughty voice. "'The orchid symbolizes love, beauty, refinement, thoughtfulness and mature calm. And many children, but we haven't quite gotten there yet. I hope these plants- which altogether don't touch on your true beauty- brighten your day and make you think of me. Always on my heart, Jesse.'"

"Many children?" Mercedes snorted with laughter.

Rachel looked like she wanted to sink into the floor and die. Puck then reached into his jean pocket and whipped out two wilting, dishevelled looking red roses. Those he flung onto Rachel's lap too. Her nostrils flared as she stared accusingly at the flowers. Then her gaze turned to Puck as she waited for the explanation behind those two.

"They come with a card too." He put on his best badass look, tilted head and all. In a husky voice he said, "'To Berry. From the Puck.'"

For a moment the brunette only stared at him. Then her face coloured and she leapt to her feet, sending the flowers falling. Tina and Mercedes hastily dove for them, saving the poor things from the floor.

"What... You... Why... You... I..." For once, Rachel didn't know exactly what she wanted to say. "You... Why would you... Where did you get them?" she finally managed to splutter out.

He shrugged. "Trashcan outside the cafeteria. They're only one or two days old."

Tina dropped the roses with a disgusted look on her face. Rachel shut her eyes.

"And you gave them to me _why_?"

"Wanted to see your reaction." Puck's grin was devilish.

Rachel exhaled and opened her eyes again. "Don't. Do. That. _Ever again_. You nearly... It's bad enough he... Those could have been somebody's gift! From the _trash can_? Why would you _do that_?"

She was outraged, but it was the usual Rachel-outrage, not the scary-normal-outrage that she had shown them the week before. And so Puck just continued to grin as she ranted on and on, hands waving dramatically in the air.

"There could be _disease _on those things! I might get sick and _die_. Or _worse_: I could _lose my voice_."

He suddenly leant in closer, so he was less than an inch away from her face. "You're totally sexy when you're mad, you know that?"

That shut her up at once. The way she jerked backwards in shock made him laugh. And then the laughter turned to a grin that everybody knew only too well: Puck had just gotten an idea.

"Noah!" Rachel warned, slightly alarmed.

But Puck had already decided. "You know what? I think the competition is good for St Douche."

"What competition?" She was sounding panicky.

"Me. I'm doing to do this whoo-hooing thing too."

"What?" she shrieked.

"Yeah." He nodded, obviously satisfied with himself. "This'll be a fun game to play to chase away the boredom. I'm gonna try win your heart too, Berry. Just for the heck of it."

"Don't... Are you _insane_? You can't-!"

"Can't hear you over the music that's playing in my head as I strut out of here like the stud I am," Puck called over his shoulder to her, already halfway out the door.

Rachel threw her arms in the air. "_Why_?" she howled at the heavens. "Why me?"

Some people couldn't contain their laughter.

"Relax," Tina soothed. "He's not really trying to win your heart. He's just playing the game. He even said so himself."

"And even then it won't last very long," Quinn spoke up. "The closest thing he has to a romantic bone in his body is... Well..." She inclined her head downwards and there was more laughter.

"I sincerely hope you're right." Then Rachel sighed, shaking her head sadly. "My poor therapist."

Only three didn't laugh this time. One because she didn't get the joke, two because they were too busy glaring and jealously hating the scene that had just played out, joke or no.

-x-x-x-

That night brought with it more snow, and the following day was almost bitterly cold. Rachel was talking to Mercedes and Tina when the freshman serving as the musical's curtain boy scurried up with a hot chocolate in his hands.

"It's from Jesse. He says it's all Soya."

If it hadn't been so darn cold, Rachel would have thrown the contents down the drain. But the events of the day weren't over, yet. They were just about to start glee practice that afternoon when Puck sauntered in with a steaming takeaway cup in his hands. He shoved it on Rachel even as she was opening her mouth to refuse.

"This one's less whipped and much hotter. Just like me."

He gave her a very loaded wink, while Mercedes, Mike, Tina, Artie and Sam laughed. Rachel glowered at him, but her expression didn't even begin to match the ones that were on Santana's and Finn's faces. Luckily the explosion was avoided by Mr Schuester's arrival. Rachel gave the drink to him and Puck spent the rest of the practice doing his best to act hurt. Most of the club was in silent stitches for the whole afternoon. Unfortunately this prompted Mr Schue to tell them many more very bad jokes as he thought his first one had been very well received.

-x-x-x-

The next afternoon saw Rachel stomping into glee with a huge, multicoloured lollypop. The note attached to the top read: 'I'm a sucker for you'. Rachel's friends (how weird it was to refer to them as such without thinking about it) had a good laugh at that while she sulked and glowered.

"Oh, come on, Rach. You should be enjoying this."

"Yeah. Maybe it's a bit annoying and... awkward... with everything else but he really is trying."

"And Puck makes for awesome comic relief," Mike added without thinking about Finn sitting just behind him.

"I suppose." Rachel let out a long-suffering sigh.

"Don't suppose," Quinn laughed. "Enjoy it. Make him grovel at your feet."

She, unlike Mike, was very aware of Finn behind her. But she also knew he needed to hear the words. He had to react to what was happening sometime. And now was the perfect time: if he denounced Rachel once again, she'd have Jesse to fall back on. It struck the pretty cheerleader right then that she was actually concerned for Rachel's well-being. _Huh. I guess we actually have become friends. That's... really weird._

"I'm actually surprised Puck hasn't given up yet," Sam commented.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Jesse cornered him this morning after he heard about the flowers. He was obviously trying to scare Noah away but... Well, you know what he's like when threatened."

"Telling him 'no' just adds fuel to the fire," Quinn agreed.

"And speak of the devil..." Tina said, dropping her voice lower.

Puck strode into the choir room, holding a lollipop similar to the one in Rachel's hand. However his was rod-shaped instead of round, and it was also even bigger. Rachel hadn't thought it possible.

With a grin he held it out to her. "Mine's bigger and much nicer to lick," he smirked.

Rachel buried her flaming face in her hands while the people around her roared with appreciative laughter. When she wouldn't take it, Puck poked the side of her head with the lollipop.

"Come on, Berry. I worked hard stealing this for you."

She let out a disgruntled sound but snatched it from him. Then she turned to Quinn and shoved both sweets into her hands.

"Give them to Becky when you see her at Cheerios practice. Or anybody else, for that matter. Just..."

She held up her hands to emphasize her point. Quinn chuckled but stashed the sweets in her bag. As she was doing so, Mr Schue came in. He blinked in confusion as he observed Quinn's doing.

"Huh. Looks like everybody's eating those today..." At their questioning glances he shrugged. "Mine went missing."

Trying hard to suppress her laughter, Quinn held out Puck's lollipop. "Here, Mr Schue, have mine. I've got another."

He grinned and, thanking her, took the sweet. They all had to work hard not to laugh at the situation and the possible double-meaning of Quinn's words.

-x-x-x-

Almost everybody was looking forward to seeing what Jesse and Puck would do the next day. By second period the curiosity proved too much for some of them, and they grouped together to corner Rachel in the hallway. She looked slightly apprehensive at their intimidating approach but her expression was otherwise untroubled. Her hands were also free of any goodies, and their faces fell.

"Did he give up?" Tina asked.

Rachel sighed and then rolled her eyes. "No. He's... wearing my Care Bear. The one I won him."

"He's... wearing it?"

"Around his neck," Rachel confirmed, sounding pained.

This was too much for Mercedes and Tina: both of them burst out laughing.

"And he's doing that because...?"

"I'm not entirely sure: I stopped listening to his long explanation after the words 'Good morning, Rachel'."

This caused more laughter and some friendly teasing. Puck interrupted by slouching over seemingly out of nowhere. Rachel made a mental note to ask him how he did it.

"What?" He spread his hands questioningly. "Did he give up?"

"Yes," Rachel said at once. "He said he had no choice but to withdraw. The competition just proved to be too much. His soul and ego are eternally crushed, but he knows when to admit defeat, something he's learnt from reading _Macbeth _once a month since eighth grade."

"She's lying," Mercedes sang.

"He's wearing her Care Bear around his neck," Tina added.

Rachel shot them scandalized looks. "Traitors!"

"Hush up, we know what's best for you," Mercedes said, patting her on the head.

"Huh." Puck looked slightly putout. "That's… Really freaking mushy… I don't do mushy… How the hell am I gonna compete with a freakin' Care Bear?"

"Don't," Rachel suggested.

"Woah, woah, hold up a minute…" Mercedes gave Puck a wide-eyed look. "You actually know what a Care Bear is?"

He shrugged. "My little sister watches it. All the freaking time. Its pathetic-ness has been forever burned into my brain."

It took the girls a moment or two to process this information. Puck just rolled his eyes, shoved his hands into his pockets, glared threateningly at some passing freshmen and then suddenly began slouching away.

"Where are you going?" Mercedes asked, shocked into calling out her immediate question.

"To see my contacts- I got an idea."

"What contacts?" By the alarmed tone of Rachel's voice she was thinking the worst.

"Hey, you build a tight bond with the people you chuck in dumpsters," he called over his shoulder.

The three girls rolled their eyes in exasperation before walking together to their next class. Puck wasn't seen for the rest of the day, and they soon forgot about his apparent genius idea. And so, when Jacob Ben Israel practically galloped into the choir room that afternoon they were just as surprised as the rest of the glee kids.

"Where's Mr Schuester?"

"He isn't here. Glee doesn't start for another ten minutes- we're all early today." Rachel answered seemingly out of pure habit, her wide eyes staring at her stalker wearily.

Her caution only intensified when Jacob responded with a 'good' and dug a tape-recorder out from his pocket. Flicking the switch, he jumped closer and held it in front of Rachel's face.

"Rachel, how would you like to respond to the announcement that you jointly made today? How long has it been going on? Do you find him as satisfying as other girls have claimed?"

The entire glee club looked at the blogger with varying degrees of confusion on their faces. Rachel didn't answer at once, apparently waiting for something that actually made sense to exit Jacob's mouth. When no such statement came she decided to ask the question on everybody's minds.

"Jacob, _what _are you talking about?"

"The relationship status announced by the T-Shirt, of course," he sounded impatient, almost hopping up and down as he waited for his expected gossip.

Rachel was none the wiser. "What T-Shirt?"

The boy looked at her with narrowed eyes, obviously trying to discern if she was just playing dumb or if she really didn't know. He decided to play it safe. "The one Puckerman has been walking the halls in for at least two hours." His head jerked to the door at a sound he had trained himself to hear so he could run away from it. Pointing to the cause of the sound, he clarified even more. "_That _T-Shirt."

"Oh. My…" Mercedes looked as though she'd been hit around the head.

Noah Puckerman sauntered into the room with his usual air, seemingly not noticing that he was (again) the last member of glee to arrive. He also didn't seem to notice the many pairs of eyes that were boggling at his T-Shirt. On the plain white, normal department store shirt were two words painted in what appeared to be orange fabric paint. Even though the letters were slightly smudged, it was clear his chest still bore the words 'Team Puckelberry'.

Rachel began spluttering incoherently, looking half-mad as she gaped at the sight before her. Jacob's recorder was instantly in front of her face again.

"Get out, Jacob," Quinn commanded at once.

The boy began to protest, but at the look he received from Quinn and the knowledge that her football-player boyfriend would definitely back her up he relented, slouching out grumpily. Puck finally seemed to have noticed Rachel's shock because he paused and raised an eyebrow at her.

"What are you wearing?" the small brunette finally managed to shriek out.

He grinned slyly at her. "You like it? Made it myself. Some geek I dumpstered a few times let me into the art room."

"Why… You…" She pointed an accusing finger at him, flying to her feet. She seemed unable to know where to start accusing him. "Take it off!"

"Why? It's so much more kick-ass than a Care Bear."

"It's ridiculous!"

"Whatever you say, babe."

"Noah!" She actually stamped her foot. "_Take it off_!"

A slow, steady, carnivorous (and, if she was being honest with herself, sexy) grin spread across his face and he sauntered over to her. She jerked her head back in surprise at his approach, but her confusion and annoyance kept her rooted in place. Stopping less than a foot away from her, he leant in real close, still smirking. Her heart began to pound in her chest.

"You wanna take it off me, Berry? Go ahead. Undress me."

A few wonderful responses jumped to her lips but before she could utter them an enraged roar sounded across the room. Wildly spinning around to the sound she was met with the furiously livid face of Finn Hudson. Puck's last words had finally been the last straw. Puck straightened up, his smirk gone. Carefully he eyed the shaking, glaring boy a few feet away.

"You… You…" Finn's anger seemed to have burned away his normally small vocabulary. "Back… the hell off…"

"What's wrong, Finny?" Puck taunted, his hands raising slightly at his sides so they were at the ready. "Scared she's gonna do it?"

Artie hadn't thought it possible for Finn's face to darken any further, but he was proved wrong. The usually mild football player looked very, very dangerous, and it was making the AV geek very nervous. Finn took a furious step forward, hands balled into fists. His big frame was shaking all over.

"I'm not going to let you sexually harass her in front of me," he growled.

Puck let out a bark of humourless laughter, easily breaking Rachel's warning grip on his arm and stepping forward to meet Finn.

"Right," he sneered. "She hates it. That's why she's really tried to make me stop this week. That's why every time we've made-out she kept her hands totally to herself."

"Noah!" Rachel could not believe he'd just said that.

The choir room went very, very still. Finn looked like he'd been slapped. Rachel felt her stomach fill with what appeared to be lead and sink right out of its place. Puck was, obviously, over-exaggerating. They'd only really made-out once, that first time on her bed. Heck, they'd only kissed about seven times. But Finn didn't know that, and she could see by the look on his eyes that he believed Puck's lie. The hurt in the two brown pools disappeared, replaced again with the white-hot rage. He took another step forward, but was quickly grabbed by Sam.

"Woah," the blond soothed. "Back up man. Take it easy."

But Finn paid no attention to his friend. His gaze was murderous and fixed on his ex-best friend. And Puck didn't look ready to back off either. Mike stepped in front of him, but he didn't even pay attention to the Asian dancer. Mercedes felt the tension in the room rise, and she knew that the boys would not be able to keep the furious pair in check for long. She turned to Tina, probably the fastest out of all of them.

"Go and get Mr Schue. _Fast_."

The wide-eyed girl nodded and dashed from the room. She heard the sounds of Finn's voice even as she tore around the corner.

-x-x-x-

In his lifetime William Schuester had had his fair share of awkward moments. But none of them –at least as far as he could remember- had ever topped this one. For one of the first times in McKinley High's history the staff room was nearly empty- there were only two people inside. One of those people was, of course, himself. And the other was Emma.

The two sat or shifted around in awkward silence, not looking at each other. He was aware that glee practice was supposed to start very soon, but he couldn't bring himself to leave the room. Even though he knew she was officially somebody else's he still found her presence intoxicating. Like gravity- forever pulling him. And he didn't want to let that go, no matter how much it hurt later when reality slapped him in the face.

Stirring his coffee for about the tenth time, he finally conjured up enough courage to turn around. He saw Emma's eyes quickly flash downward to the newspaper that was open before her on the table. He couldn't imagine a prettier sight than her blush. Searching around almost desperately for something to say, his eyes fell on the ring finger of her left hand.

"The uhm…" He cleared his throat. "The ring he got you is very nice."

Her pretty eyes slowly turned up to his face. For a long moment they just stared at each other, reading things that just couldn't be said.

"Uhm… Thanks… Thank you." She nodded slightly.

More silence followed, seemingly more oppressive than before. Suddenly her slender fingers balled into fists, and her gaze intensified.

"Will I…" He waited patiently for her. "I just-"

"Mr Schuester!" Both teachers jumped and looked swiftly at the door. Tina was panting, her eyes wide and cheeks flushed. Will's chest constricted at the sight. "Please come quick."

He set his coffee cup down at once and followed her as fast as he could, sparing Emma one last look as he left the room. He loved her, yes, but his kids would always take top priority. He didn't bother wasting breath asking Tina what happened. Instead he ran with the girl back in the direction of the choir room. He could hear the disarray even before he was properly in the corridor. Bursting into the room his first thought was that he was being pranked- he couldn't see anything but a mob of his glee kids standing around in a tight bunch. Then he heard the sounds- fists connecting with flesh and bodies scraping around the ground as grunts and insults fell out of ready lips. It didn't take him long after that to distinguish the figures of Puck and Finn on the floor, evading any attempts to stop them beating the living breath out of each other. He was shocked but not entirely surprised- the fight had been a long time in coming.

"Hey!" Most of the room's inhabitants jumped at his booming voice. "_Hey_!"

He lurched forwards and grabbed Finn's shoulder, narrowly avoiding being punched in the jaw. With all the strength he had he yanked, managing to get Finn partially off of Puck. Mike saw his opportunity and grabbed Finn's other arm, helping Will drag the tall boy fully away from his foe. As soon as Mike was sure Finn was in a firm hold he went to help Sam hold back Puck, who was showing every intent at throwing them off and getting right back into the fight.

"You slimy little-"

"Finn!" Will barked, drowning out the word that the tall brunette used to describe the other boy.

Puck just sneered and continued to try and lurch back at Finn. To Will's dismay, Finn began struggling to do exactly the same, making the Spanish teacher have to use all his strength to keep him contained. The girls were all hovering around, white-faced and confused about what to do.

"This is over," Will barked in his most authoritive voice.

"Like hell it is," Puck growled at once.

"He's taken it one step too far," Finn spat, spraying some blood a few feet in front of him.

It was only then that Will noticed the blood on the floor. There were red splotches everywhere, fallen from their split lips and eyes and cheeks. Bruises were already starting to show, and Puck couldn't seem to open his right eye the whole way. Nevertheless he let out another bout of dry laughter.

"Oh _yeah_. 'Cause it's all my fault. Bad Puck. Stealing both of Finny's girls. But doesn't it make you wonder why, Finn? Why is it that both of them thought you weren't good enough?"

"Shut the hell up!"

"That's enough!" Will hollered, dragging Finn another step back as Sam and Mike struggled with Puck.

"No, Mr Schuester." Puck's voice was deadly calm. "This ain't even the beginning. It's time everybody stops wrapping the ass in cotton wool- he's gotta learn the damn truth!"

"Puck!" Will warned, but the other boy was past listening.

"You don't have a damn right to be pissed, you know that? I was only playing- _exactly _like you. Except I actually told her upfront that I was only messing around. You? You strung her along, made her believe your romancing was real." Finn called him some names his mother probably would have washed his mouth out for. Puck only laughed again. "Yeah, that's right. I'm the screw-up. The bad guy, the juvenile delinquent. And yet, I'm the one who was honest with her. And- get this, 'cause this is even more effing ironic- I'm the one who played by the rules. Yeah, asshole, the rules. Such as how you've gotta put your chick before your popularity. Or like how you can let nobody- no matter how effing hot a Cheerio they are- insult _anything _about your girl. And laughing as they insult her? That's totally out. But I guess you didn't get that memo. Because you sure as hell didn't follow any of those rules when you played with her heart."

He used all his force to rip away from Mike and Sam, stalking towards the door in the dead silence that followed. As he reached it he turned around for one last word, his dark eyes sparking fury.

"But you know what? I'm glad you were a total douche and broke up with her. Because you don't deserve an effing _hair _on Rachel's head."

He stormed out, limping almost noticeably, and Will finally loosened his grip on Finn's shoulders. The silence was complete as everybody processed what had just happened. Will scanned the room quickly, his eyes finally locking with Mercedes'. The girl inclined her head to the door sadly and Will nodded in understanding. Rachel had fled as soon as they'd started fighting. And he wondered, for just a moment, which guy she'd been more worried about.


	7. 6: Boys & Girls

**AN: **Hey everybody! =] Another huge, huge thanks for all the reviews. So far we've very nearly hit an average of **eight **per chapter. That is AMAZING! So, as promised, here's the next chapter. It takes a little break from the boy-relationships and focuses on the friend-relationships. Because as much as there is that needs to change with the way the guys handle Rachel there is also a lot the lovely ladies of New Directions need to learn as well. So here's a small, small scraping of that happening. There will be mentions of a gay relationship as well as a very direct reference and some scantly clad girls in this chapter. Again, nothing 'M' worthy- I just thought you'd like to be warned.

Reviews will be adored =]

_One person singing. _

_**Two or more people singing**_

_-Another person coming into the song _

**Disclaimer: **Don't own anything that makes sense. The random vegan chocolates come from my disturbed brain, though.

* * *

**Chapter Six: Boys & Girls  
**

Puck had never been one to believe in the sappy little flashback moments that some people swore they got. And yet, he found himself having an overwhelming sensation of that word that started with 'day' as he sat in the boy's bathroom.

"Ow! Damn, woman," he growled, scowling more because of his exclamation than of the actual pain.

Rachel gave him an unsympathetic look. "It's your own fault."

She continued to clean up his cuts and bruises, dabbing at his torn skin with disinfectant that stung like crazy. He leant his head back so it rested on the basin behind him, and the reminder of the first time he'd been in this position with her became even stronger. He kept expecting her to suddenly start washing his hair again. Instead she pulled open another bandaid and stuck it across the aching place on his jaw.

Her silence was out of place and very off-putting. He knew she was a person who could fume for ages, but all he saw when he looked in her eyes was sadness, not anger. It made him feel guilty and even madder at Finn Freaking Hudson. Her gentle fingers rubbed some nasty smelling cream over his half-shut eye. He wanted to ask her why she was patching him up, but the words couldn't come out of his mouth. For one, they'd sound hopelessly too gay. And he actually didn't want to know the answer.

She threw the used swabs and wrappers away and turned to leave without another word. His head shot up in surprise at her icy departure, and a frown tugged at the painful places on his face.

"Berry!" She stopped and turned back to him with an almost blank face. He didn't actually know what he wanted to say- he'd just wanted her to stop walking. "Er… You know…" He gestured at his face and knuckles vaguely.

She gave him a small nod. Then, as she turned around again: "Noah, life is actually a serious business. Sometime or another you're going to have to stop playing so many games."

She left him in the bathroom again, this time without a kiss and with his insides heavy and twisted together.

-x-x-x-

Rachel had never been one to sleep late, even on weekends. And so when she awoke at 8 AM the next day it was not a rare occurrence for her. She showered, got dressed and joined her fathers as they ate breakfast while watching Saturday morning cartoons. It was such an image that made her a firm believer in the belief that men never grew up. After brushing her teeth, she grabbed her bag and went to wait outside for Mercedes.

The little red flag on her post-box announced that she had mail. Frowning in slight confusion she peered inside to find three small chocolates lying side-by-side. The first one she removed had a wrapper that supported a language she didn't understand. With a raised eyebrow she opened the note attached.

'_And these, who, often drowned, could never die, _

_Transparent heretics, be burnt for liars!_

_One fairer than my love? The all-seeing sun _

_Ne'er saw her match since first the world begun.' _

The chocolate was obviously from Jesse. His handwriting was recognisable from a mile away, and only he would be dramatic enough to quote Shakespeare on a chocolate bar. Shaking her head, she dropped the first chocolate in her bag and reached for the second. This one was a normal, slightly squashed, common chocolate. She didn't bother reading which one- she turned straight to the scrawled note attached.

'_Touch yourself_.'

Rachel rolled her eyes but she couldn't stop a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. It was very definitely from Puck. How he had caught Jesse in the act of dropping a chocolate in her post-box, she'd never know. But she knew he'd done it as part of the game: to make her laugh and to amuse himself. In fact, she realized as she dropped his in her bag beside Jesse's, he'd done everything that past week to make her laugh. She knew this for a fact because Noah Puckerman would never _seriously _wear a T-Shirt like the one he'd made. No matter if his life depended on it. Sombrely she took out the last chocolate.

This one was her favourite vegan mix, found only at the tiny little organic shop tucked away on the outskirts of town. She blinked at it in shock, then flipped it around so she could read what was scrawled on the wrapper. The handwriting was familiar at once from more than a summer of studying it daily. Heart hammering somewhere in her throat she read the two words over and over.

'_I'm sorry.' _

Mercedes' horn shocked her out of her reverie and she shoved the third chocolate in her bag, hurrying to the car where Quinn already sat. She couldn't stop thinking about it the whole car ride, telling the other two girls some excuse about being tired when they called her on her silence.

-x-x-x-

"You know, hanging out with you guys this close to Regionals is practically a criminal offence."

"Says you who invited us all," Quinn quipped back at Kurt, easily parting the crowd of the busy school fundraiser as she walked gracefully a little in front of the other three.

"I'm having second thoughts," Kurt told her, looking dead serious.

"Good," Mercedes smirked. "'Cause we're totally gonna jump you behind the bleachers and demand to know your setlist."

"Don't even joke," Kurt laughed. "It's happened before."

"Yeah, Mer." Quinn grinned over her shoulder at her friend. "Our lipglosses are fatal weapons."

The three giggled and continued to saunter on, eyeing the various stalls with critical eyes. Kurt had loyally told them that everything sold at any Dalton event was above standard, but he was also hesitant to actually purchase anything.

"Damn you have some fiiine men here," Mercedes tutted appreciatively, waggling her eyebrows at a good-looking teen she'd spotted across the field.

"Oh I know," Kurt smirked, nudging the arm that was linked with his knowingly.

"They're actually gorgeous," Quinn agreed, stalking a brunette with her eyes.

"Hey, hey! You have a man, sister!" Mercedes approached with a laugh.

Quinn smirked and shrugged innocently. "That doesn't mean I can't look."

"Yeah it does! 'Cause when girls like you start lookin', there's less for girls like me and Rach!"

"From what I've heard, Rachel has more than enough suitors from McKinley," Kurt purred, turning to the girl on his other arm with sparkling eyes.

Rachel sighed and rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately," she muttered. "I've waited sixteen years for a man up to my standards with enough strength to handle my high maintenance and then three pop up."

The other three laughed, but Kurt squeezed her hand sympathetically. He could see the sadness behind the teasing- the indecision, the hurt, the guilt. He felt Mercedes nudge him very slightly and he began to search for something else to say. Rachel had been very uncharacteristically quiet the whole morning, and it was worrying all three of them. Grasping onto the first topic that came to mind, Kurt began doing the one thing he'd never thought he'd do: coax Rachel into speaking.

By the time the three were hungry enough to actually buy some of the food, Rachel was almost her usual bubbly self. The three were so relieved that they didn't even really mind her endless chattering and over-dramatic statements. It was halfway through her insistences that short was the new tall that Kurt's eyes fell on a very familiar somebody. He stopped walking, causing both Mercedes and Rachel to jerk.

"What?" Rachel asked at once.

He couldn't answer; just gulped. The three girls instantly craned their necks, trying to follow his gaze and yet remain discrete. They didn't have to search for long. A very attractive brunette caught sight of their group and, grinning a heart-melting grin, sauntered up to them.

"Kurt, hey!"

"Morning, Blaine." Kurt was trying very hard to keep his voice steady.

Blaine nodded his head towards the girls. "Friends of yours?"

"Oh, yes. This is Quinn Fabray"- Quinn shook his hand with a dazzling smile- "Mercedes Jones"- Mercedes took his hand whilst secretly checking out his rear end, her eyebrows raising approvingly- "and Rachel Berry."

"Very nice to meet you," Rachel beamed her hundred-watt smile, pumping Blaine's hand energetically.

"Rachel… Ahhh… I've heard a lot about you…"

Rachel was unfazed. "And you will continue to hear a lot about me. When I'm on Broadway, the whole word will know my name and my every move will be recorded."

Blaine laughed heartily. "I like you," he approved with a grin that even set Rachel's heart aflutter. He turned back to Kurt. "Well I gotta get going. I have to help out at the bookstore. Maybe if you still have time we can hang out?"

"Definitely!" Kurt breathed. "I mean… Yeah. If you're not… busy. With the bookstore. Later."

"Great." Another grin. "It was a pleasure to meet you, ladies. Later, Kurt."

With a little wave he was gone. All three rounded on Kurt at once.

"Oh my sweet sugar pearls."

"He's totally gorgeous!"

"Since when has _that _been happening?"

"I don't… I mean, he's just a friend…" All three of them loudly told him they highly doubted that. "He is!" Kurt insisted. Then he shifted and blushed. "Well… for now…"

Mercedes and Quinn ooohed while Rachel let out a little squeal. "Has he told you he likes you yet?"

"No! We haven't _nearly_ reached that stage yet."

"Chicken," Quinn accused at once.

"Am not!" he responded hotly. "I can't just go up to him and say, 'Hey, Blaine. I was wondering if you really, really like me?' It's ridiculous."

"Then don't ask him with words," Rachel sighed, as though it was obvious.

He gave her a look very similar to the one after she'd asked him if he fantasized about his own funeral. She sighed and, as her answer, sang.

"_If you wanna know _

_If he loves you so _

_It's in his kiss_"

Kurt blushed slightly but then rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to-"

He broke off in shock when Mercedes began to hum out the intro to the Cher song, her eyes sparkling wickedly. Almost laughing, Quinn and Rachel joined in, harmonising and raising the volume.

"Cut it out!" Kurt hissed, trying almost frantically to shush them. "This is _not _a scene from _High School Musical_! Shut it!"

The girls paid him no heed. Instead, with an almost wicked look at the other two girls, Mercedes began to sing.

_"Does he love me?_

_I wanna know!_

_How can I tell if he loves me so?" _

Kurt began trying to shush them up again, protesting to their little spectacle which was- to his immense relief- not attracting any attention yet. But the three girls were enjoying it too much and Rachel happily took over the next part of the song.

"Is it in his eyes?

_-Oh no! You need to see!" _

Mercedes winked at Rachel as she continued with Cher's part of the song. The brunette slipped to the other side of Mercedes, meaning that the diva was now flanked on either side. The three girls were also blocking Kurt's escape route, making sure he was good and truly trapped. Catching on to how the impromptu song was going to happen, Quinn joined her voice to Rachel's as they continued.

"_**Is it in his eyes**__? _

_-Oh no! You make believe! _

_If you wanna know_

_If he loves you so_

_It's in his kiss!_

_-__**That's where it is!**__" _

By now Kurt was flushing horribly, looking trapped, scared and angry all at the same time. But they knew him well enough to know it was a blustering anger- one that would not burn against them for too long. And so, instead of stopping, they turned it up a notch by swaying around and making up actions as they 'shooped' behind Mercedes' lead vocals.

"_**Or is it in his face? **_

_-Oh no! It's just his charms! In his warm embrace? _

_-Oh no! That's just his arms!_

_ If you wanna know If hew loves you so It's in his kiss!_

_ -That's where it is!_

_-Oh it's in his kiss!_

_-__**That's where it is!**_"

Almost as if they were an attacking mob, the three girls moved towards Kurt as one. Swirling and dancing around him almost suggestively they didn't bother keeping their hands from running down his chest as they half-laughed, half-sang the next bit together.

"_**Oh, oh, oh, hug him! **_

_**Squeeze him tight!**_

_**Find out what you wanna know! **_

_**If it's love, if it really is **_

_**It's there in his kiss!**_"

Spinning away again, Quinn and Rachel let Mercedes sing her stuff right in Kurt's face while they sashayed in the background, eyes bright with laughter. At some stage they even joined hands to twirl around a bit, not remembering that they were just friendly not friends. Quinn couldn't remember having that much giggly, pointless girl-fun in ages. She felt as though she was about six years old, and she loved it.

"_**How 'bout the way he acts? **_

_-Oh no! That's not the way! _

_You're not listenin' _

_To all I'm sayin'! _

_If you wanna know_

_If he loves you so_

_It's in his kiss!_

_-__**That's where it is! **_

_-It's in his kiss! _

_-__**That's where it is! **_

_**-It's in his kiss!**_"

"I… am never… taking you anywhere… _ever again_," Kurt seethed, his expression so funny that the three girls packed up laughing, panting slightly from the song.

Kurt stalked away from them but they hurried to catch up, wisely not mentioning anything about kissing Blaine. They'd enforce their lesson later, when he was calmer. By silent agreement it was decided that it would be Mercedes who would go and try and coax him into talking to them again. Quinn and Rachel hung back, watching the two and laughing quietly at the comic situation.

"I hope Kurt's feelings are returned," Rachel said after a while. "He deserves some happiness."

"He does," the Cheerio beside her agreed warmly. Then, turning completely to Rachel she added, "But things will work out for him in the end. They work out for everybody. No matter what's standing in the way."

The smaller brunette caught on to the hidden meaning in Quinn's words, and she lowered her eyes to the ground. Her heart clenched as she thought of Finn and the expression on his face when he'd broken up with her. The hurt in his eyes… She swallowed past the sudden lump. A part of her doubted Quinn's words in her scenario. After all, when had life ever happened 'as it should' for her? It seemed as though every time she was happy something came to dismantle it. Somehow, Quinn seemed to pick up on what her silence meant.

"You just need to stop worrying so much. What happens, happens. Trust me- worrying about it doesn't change anything. You just have to adapt."

But how can I, when he's almost my whole world? He was my best friend as well as my lover. He understood me. Just thinking about having to 'adapt' to not having him…

"Rachel." The brunette blinked in surprise- Quinn had never spoken to her so softly before. The blonde's eyes were soft and sincere. "It will be okay. Just hang in there." Then the moment was gone, and Quinn allowed herself to change back to the slightly-distant head cheerleader she usually was. "All you have to do is remind him what he's missing." A smirk that once would have terrified Rachel crossed her face. "And I have an idea how to do that."

"It doesn't involve other boys or a makeover, does it?" Rachel sounded very weary.

"Not exactly," was the only, cryptic reply. "But it has a lot to do with a song, so don't worry. I…" She hesitated, seemingly a little embarrassed with what she was about to say. "I realized that we… sound pretty good. Singing together."

Rachel's smile was unsure but still warm. "We do. We should… do it again?"

Quinn inclined her head. Then, seemingly wanting to get all the sappy moments with Rachel Berry out of the way, she blurted out, "You'll rock _Moulin Rouge_. Really." Rachel's face showed blank surprise, then a blush of pleasure stained her cheeks. After all the gooeyness, Quinn couldn't stop the last part from escaping her lips: "You'll make a very good prostitute."

The two looked at each other in silence for a moment before bursting into loud laughter that made Mercedes and Kurt turn around and stare at them in utter bafflement.

-x-x-x-

It was with quite a bit of confusion that most of the boys of the glee club filed into the auditorium that Monday afternoon. They all took their seats but kept looking around rather nervously, as though one of the girls or the suspiciously absent Mike would suddenly pop out of nowhere. Mr Schuester was not very much more informed than them.

"I got told the girls have a special number they prepared for us," he answered them with a shrug. "I don't know what it is or why they're doing it. All I was told was to make sure no other people came in because their costumes were a little 'un-glee-like'."

This got the rest of the males' attention even more, and they stopped shifting around so much. Suddenly the auditorium went dark, and every eye turned to the stage. A slow beat began to play, accompanied by a higher tapping noise and some whispers they could not make out. The place was so dark they barely noticed when the curtain went up. Then a single, muted spotlight fell on Mike's head. He stood in the center of the stage in a tux with a top hat on that shielded his eyes. With a smirk that was somehow highlighted by the lack of light, he began.

"And now, the six sexy singers Of the McKinley High glee

_In their rendition_

_Of the _Cell Block Tango_._"

The light went off, to be replaced with even softer ones that only just illuminated the stage further back. Something that looked like iron bars had been constructed about mid-way down the stage, and it spanned the entire width. The whispering began again, but this time the words could be heard.

"_Pop._

_-Six. _

_-Squish_

_-Uh-uh. _

_-Cicero. _

_-Lipschitz._"

Suddenly the tempo began to increase along with the volume and the stillness of the stage was shattered. The six girls of glee appeared as they said their word, each of them gripping the makeshift bars in a different way. The lights were too dim to see much more than the general figures, and the mystery added to the tense air.

"_Pop!_

_-Six! _

_-Squish!_

_-Uh-uh! _

_-Cicero! _

_-Lipschitz!_"

Ands suddenly the lilt of the _Tango_ was playing above the beat, and the girls no longer whispered but called out, using the structure to hang on and over as they reached the climax in tempo.

"_Pop!_

_-Six! _

_-Squish!_

_-Uh-uh! _

_-Cicero!_

_-Lipschitz!_

-_Pop!_

_-Six! _

_-Squish!_

_-Uh-uh! _

_-Cicero! _

_-Lipschitz!_"

By now, the watching men could see that they were clothed in leather and fishnets. Mr Schuester realized with a jolt that they had gone all-out. He now knew what they had meant when referring to the costumes. Or, he thought wryly, the lack thereof. The light grew a little brighter as they finally began to sing, stamping along to the beat in an almost rioting way.

"_**He had it coming**_

_**He had it coming**_

_**He only had himself to blame. **_

_**If you'd have been there**_

_**If you'd have seen it**__…" _

The spotlight was suddenly back, focusing on the second-last girl to their right. Quinn peered out at them from behind the bars, her gold hair cascading around her shoulders as she smirked and sang solo.

"_I betcha you _

_would have done the same!_"

The girls took up their chanting again, shifting around behind the structure in a way that- in the darkness- looked even more promiscuous than it probably was.

"_Pop!_

_-Six! _

_-Squish!_

_-Uh-uh! _

_-Cicero! _

_-Lipschitz!_

-_Pop!_

_-Six! _

_-Squish!_

_-Uh-uh! _

_-Cicero! _

_-Lipschitz!_"

The spotlight that had been on Quinn focused on center stage, where Mike stood without his top hat. Brittany was suddenly walking towards him in an outfit identical to the one from the movie. The boys voiced their appreciation for this loudly, but they were ignored. Brittany took her solo while the rest of the girls softly sang the chorus behind her. Her moves, like her clothes, mirrored the movie perfectly.

"_You know how people _

_Have these little habits_

_That get you down? _

_Like Bernie. _

_Bernie liked to chew gum. _

_No, not chew. POP._"

She ran her hands down Mike's hair as he stood with his back to the audience, her usual innocence gone from her face as she completely took on her role.

"_So I came home this one day _

_And I'm really irritated. _

_And I'm looking for_

_A little but of sympathy. _

_And there's Bernie_

_Lying on the couch, drinking a beer and chewing. _

_No, not chewing. POPING. _

_So, I said to him, _

_I said, "You pop that gum one more time…'" _

She let out a sigh, her face almost tragic as she sat across Mike's one knee.

"_And he did. _

_So I took the shotgun off the wall _

_And I fired two warning shots_."

Her leg lifted all the way to Mike's head, her booted toe pointing at his temple as she laughed.

"_Into. His. Head." _

From seemingly nowhere she pulled a bright red scarf, the bright colour standing out sharply against the darkness. She continued to tango with Mike, flawlessly and to the quick beat, while the rest of the girls sang the chorus at full volume.

"_**He had it coming**_

_**He had it coming**_

_**He only had himself to blame. **_

_**If you'd have been there**_

_**If you'd have heard it**_

_**I betcha you would **_

_**Have done the same!"**_

Mike spun Brittany to the side, where she froze, poised and looking dangerous. Then he returned to the middle of the stage as the spotlight focused on Tina. She too was wearing the exact outfit of the _Chicago _murderess she was taking on, and for a moment Will didn't recognise her. Then she reached Mike and the two began their solo together.

"_I met Ezekiel Young from_

_Salt Lake City about two years ago_

_And he told me he was single. And we hit it off right away. _

_So, we started living together._"

The pretty Asian shook her head, looking as though she'd just made the hugest mistake of her life as Mike and her continued to dance slightly together.

"_He'd go to work, he'd come home, _

_I'd fix him a drink, we'd have dinner. _

_And then I found out: _

'_Single' he told me. _

_Single my _ass_._"

She looked so ferocious saying it that nobody called her out on what was possibly her first swearword in any form of company.

"_Not only was he married… _

_Oh, no. He had six wives. _

_One of those Mormons, you know? _

_So that night _

_When he came home from work _

_I fixed him his drink, as usual…_"

She suddenly crawled even closer to Mike's head, spreading her legs on either side of his body, which was pressed flat to the floor of the stage. Her actions caused some catcalls to ring across the room. She didn't even blush- just kept her eyes on her audience as she lent forward towards Mike's waiting mouth. Her lips touched his and then suddenly dipped lower to the collar of her shirt. She raised her head, trailing a red scarf up with her.

"_You know, some guys _

_Just can't hold their arsenic_."

Rolling off her boyfriend, Tina seemingly kicked him over, leaping at him when he was on his feet. Brittany appeared on his other side and the two did an improvised version of the tango that had taken part on the show while the other girls sang and rioted behind the bars, throwing in their words in-between the lyrics.

"_**He had it coming**_

_**He had it coming**_

_**He took a flower**_

_**In its prime**_

_**And then he used it **_

_**And he abused it**_

_**It was a murder,**_

_**But not a crime!**_"

Brittany and Tina again returned to the sidelines, freezing as Mike turned to Santana, who had just emerged from behind the bars. The two began to circle each other slowly, their bodies fluid and sensual, still copying the original moves to a T.

"_Now, I'm standing in the kitchen _

_Carving up the chicken for dinner,_

_Minding my own business. _

_And in storms my husband, Wilbur, _

_In a jealous rage._

'_You been screwing the milkman,' he says. _

_He was crazy and _

_He kept on screaming, 'You been screwing the milkman!_"

Mike pulled her in close and she rested her one hand on the back of his head, smirking ever so slightly at the audience over her shoulder. Her eyes seemed to gleam wickedly, and they were forcefully reminded of the power of her rage.

"_And then he ran into my knife. _

_He ran into my knife _ten_ times_."

From Mike's belt she pulled a very long red rope of material. Tina and Brittany remained back, dancing alone as Santana and Mike danced together for a while and the others sang.

_**If you'd have been there**_

_**If you'd have seen it**_

_**I betcha you would **_

_**Have done the same!**"_

All three girls twirled to the side together, posing over each other as the music lightened and more light appeared. Mike went over to Rachel who stood, poised, just in front of the bars. He took her hand and they began to dance ballet together. Rachel did her part flawlessly, the Hungarian flowing from her lips without a pause.

"_Mit kersek, en itt? Azt mondjok, _

_Hogy a hires lakem lefogta a_

_Ferjemet en meg_

_Lecsaptam a fejet. De nem igaz, _

_En artatlan vagyok. _

_Nem tudom mert mondja_

_Uncle Sam hogy en tettem. _

_Probaltam a rendorsegen _

_Megmayaranzu de _

_Nem ertettek meg_…"

Mike and Rachel doing ballet was almost mesmerising. They seemed to skim across the surface of the stage and although the moves were controlled and chaste they were just as enthralling as those of the tango. Finally the two reached the middle of the stage, where Rachel paused with Mike behind her, his hands spread out and his lips almost against her neck.

Brittany, Santana and Tina all slipped up behind her and asked as one, "Yeah, but did you do it?"

"Uh-uh," Rachel replied, pulling a tragic face. "Not guilty."

She pulled a white scarf out from Mike's shirt collar and he danced with her to the edge of the stage as Tina and Santana followed, doing some steps from the tango. Then he and Brittany returned to center stage, turning their backs to the audience and leaving a clear walkway between them. The other three girls continued to dance lightly on the side as Quinn stepped into the spotlight.

"_My sister, Veronica, and I _

_Had this double act _

_And my husband, Charlie, travelled _

_Around with us. _

_Now, for the last number in our act, _

_We did these twenty acrobatic_

_Tricks in a row. _

_One, two, three, four, five _

_Splits, spread eagles, back flips, flip flops, _

_One right after the other._"

Brittany and Mike did a small dance there with her, crossing their legs and holding hands around her body as she spoke, seemingly oblivious to the way they curved towards each other.

"_So this one night before the show _

_We're down at the Hotel Cicero,_

_The three of us boozin', having a few laughs_

_And we run out of ice. _

_So I go out to get some. _

_I come back, open the door, and there's_

_Veronica and Charlie doing _

_Number Seventeen—the spread eagle._"

Behind her, Mike lifted Brittany upside down and she kicked out her legs, doing the splits in mid air just in front of his face. Then all the other lights dimmed, leaving Quinn standing alone in a small pool of light with her hands tucked behind her back.

"_Well, I was in such a state of shock _

_I completely blacked out,_

_I can't remember a thing. _

_It wasn't until later,_

_When I was washing the _

_Blood off my hands _

_I even knew they were _dead_._"

She opened both palms in front of her and two red scarves unfolded as she spoke. A smirk crossed her face before Brittany and Mike were next to her again and she began to dance, taking the lead in vocals. Tina and Santana partnered up to tango while Rachel did ballet beside them while they brought up the backing vocals.

"_They had it coming_

_-__**They had it coming **_

**-**_They had it coming_

_-__**They had it coming**_

_**-**__They had it coming all along _

_I didn't do it_

_-__**She didn't do it**_

_-But if I'd done it _

_How could you tell me that I was wrong?_"

Brittany and Quinn both tossed Mike away and the girls all took center stage, almost enclosing Quinn. They all copied her moves as they echoed her, doing it with all the passion they had in them.

_They had it coming_

_-__**They had it coming **_

**-**_They had it coming_

_-__**They had it coming**_

_**-**__They had it coming all along_

_-__**They took a flower in its prime**_

_I didn't do it_

_-__**And then they used it**_

_-But if I'd done it _

_-__**And they abused it**_

_How could you tell me that I was wrong?_

_-__**It was a murder but not a crime!**_"

Silently they all began to circle around Mercedes and Mike who had just arrived in center stage.

"_I loved Alvin Lipschitz _

_More than I can possibly say._

_He was a real artistic guy…_

_Sensitive… A painter. _

_But he was always trying to find himself. _

_He'd go out every night_

_Looking for himself_

_And on the way he found_

_Ruth, Gladys, Rosemary and Irving. _

_I guess you could say_

_We broke up because_

_Of artistic differences._"

Mercedes reached around Mike with a smile, pulling out another red scarf from under his jacket and then continuing to follow the moves.

"_He saw himself as alive_

_And I saw him as dead._"

Mike was again tossed to the sidelines and the six girls advanced, their leather glistening in the light.

"_The dirty bum, bum, bum, bum, bum _

_The dirty bum, bum, bum, bum, bum._"

And, without missing a beat, they continued with the chorography of the movie, causing more catcalls and fallen jaws. Neatly splitting into two vocal groups, they sang their hearts out.

"_**They had it coming **_

_**-They had it coming **_

_**-They had it coming**_

_**-They had it coming**_

_**-They had it coming all along**_

_**-They had it coming all along **_

_**-'Cause if they used us**_

_**-And if they used us**_

_**-And they abused us**_

_**-And they abused us**_

_**-How could you tell us that we were wrong?**_

_**-He had it coming **_

_**-He had it coming**_

_**-He had it coming**_

_**-He had it coming**_

_**-He only had himself to blame**_

_**-He only had himself to blame**_

_**-If you'd have been there**_

_**-If you'd have been there**_

_**-If you'd have seen it**_

_**-If you'd have seen it**_

_**I betcha you would have done the same!" **_

Slowly and silkily they began to retreat back behind their cell bars. The lights began to dim again and the music softened to what it had been in the beginning as they slunk backward.

"_-You pop that gum one more time!_

_-Single my ass!_

_-Ten times!_

_-Miert csukott Uncle Sam bortonbe._

_-Number seventeen—the spread eagle. _

_-Artistic differences_."

Reaching the structure they all faded into simple outlines again, sagging against the bars as each one of them finished off.

"_Pop_

_-Six._

_-Squish._

_-Uh-uh._

_-Cicero._

_-Lipschitz._"

Their audience erupted into applause, some more enthusiastically than others. Puck yelled out a few vulgar comments, but everybody chose to ignore them. The girls, tugging Mike with them, came back onto the properly lit stage, panting but grinning.

"Wow." Mr Schuester didn't seem to know what else to say. He let out a little, nervous laugh. "That was… incredible, girls. Really. The dancing and singing… Really, really wow. But unfortunately we can't let that routine leave this room."

They all laughed and assured him it was okay, complaining about the leather as they tugged at it and grimaced. Rachel, still laughing, excused herself and turned to leave for her play rehearsal. She was on a kind of high, the rush of doing something that wonderful with her friends soaring her way above the clouds. As she turned she came face-to-face with Santana.

Everybody on the stage froze, watching with wide eyes as the two stared each other down, right in each other's faces. Rachel suddenly seemed to deflate and she gave Santana a small nod. The other girl's lip pulled back in a minute snarl. But even as Tina began to step forward the snarl disappeared and Santana nodded back, stepping to the side and allowing Rachel to part. Quinn and Mercedes gave each other a sideways look. During the practice for the dance Rachel and Santana had been accidentally left alone. But instead of finding them ripping into each other upon return, the head Cheerio had found them in silence. Their red faces told their peers that there had been a confrontation but that it had ended before the rest could return.

Both of them refused outright to talk about what had happened in Quinn's basement. But whatever it had been it had caused them to come to a slight and shaky truce. One that allowed them to work together and look at each other but nothing more. Giving the relationship they'd had before, their new understanding was nothing short of a miracle.

Rachel was stopped form leaving a second time, this time by Mike's voice.

"Rachel?" She turned back in surprise to find him giving her a small smile. "We should do that again. Dancing. You're good. It was nice."

She smiled back, surprised and flattered. "Thanks, Mike. You're amazing, too. We'll make a plan."

In one of the back seats of the auditorium, Finn found himself wishing he could _really _dance.

* * *

**AN: **As anime-lovin'-freak so kindly put it when reading this chapter:

"Rachel, Quinn and Mercedes: Guaranteed to embarrass you in song anywhere. Now with added synchronised dancing!"


	8. 7: Rewind

**AN: **Another really critical chapter. This is where some drama passes and some becomes even more. Ooooh aren't you interested now? ;) Also, there is quite a bit of self-speculation in this chapter. I do agree with most of the fans: Rachel and Kurt have become way too complacent. They've lost their spark. And I'm trying to explain why and rectify it. Sorry if I make a hash up of that xD

Some mild swearing and suggestiveness in this chappie.

**Reviews will be adored! **

_One person singing. _

**_Two or more people singing_**

_-Another person coming into the song _

**Disclaimer: **None of it is mine. Unfortunately.

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Rewind**

Life, in Rachel Berry's view, had always been complicated. But the indecisions and uncertainties were made bearable by her strict goal- the something she could cling onto for dear life. Becoming a star had been the thing to drag her through all the drama and the loneliness and the injustices. Then she had met Finn Hudson, and her goal had changed. Oh, sure, she still wanted to be a star. More than anything else in the world. But her anchor became a double-headed thing, split between stardom and love.

When he'd left- the second time, the 'real' time- she'd been left half-drowning without that part of her anchor. She'd actually questioned how she would make it through this one, something she'd never, ever, ever had to do in her life before. It had left her alone and scared. The first time they had broken up- just before Jesse- she had been hurt but not as much. Then it had been early stages and she hadn't given all of herself to Finn. She hadn't trusted him fully with the 'job' of being half of her anchor. But this time she had- she'd given him everything and she could conjure up no anger or wish for independence. How could she casually tell him he'd come back after what he'd said and what she'd done?

Then she had started to make friends, and the drowning feeling dispersed slightly. She still missed him with a craving that sometimes took her breath away, but she was also able to ignore her desire. Able to ignore him. The little 'war' between Puck and Jesse had been a welcome distraction, even if it was annoying. But it, and what Quinn had told her about adapting, had also created a little conflict in her.

Did she really want Finn as much as she thought?

Yes, she'd loved him crazily. Yes, being without him left her feeling hollow, empty and disgusting. But she was starting to wonder if their breakup was such a terrible thing after all. Being away from him allowed her to step back and actually view how they had acted around each other. And she came to begin doubting if her love really wasn't fantasy and desire multiplied into something she'd strung along. Maybe she had wanted to give herself to somebody too badly. Maybe she had ignored the truth for the things she wanted to see. Maybe, she'd let all the wrongness and warning bells be covered up with his smiles and half-baked apologies and stunts like the chocolate in her post-box. Maybe, if she thought about it rationally, she didn't want Finn back after all.

The thought nearly killed her, but it refused to go away.

She was thinking these things through on the Tuesday afternoon's play practice. They were going over a scene she was not in, so she was left to sit in the wings by herself. But being left to her own thoughts caused her to think… Luckily, she was not allowed to dwell on her thoughts for too long:

Not even twenty minutes in to the rehearsal, the smoke machine exploded. Smoke poured everywhere, limiting visibility at once and eliciting screams from some of the girls. Orders to get out were roared hastily, and everybody began to stumble blindly for the doors. Rachel was one of these people until she suddenly felt strong arms around her and her feet were lifted off the ground.

It took her a full five seconds to realize she was being carried, bridal style, out of the auditorium. By the time her shock had subsided enough to protest, she was already outside, and Jesse's concerned face was staring down at her.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded, somehow unable to speak. He did not put her down or break their gaze. They stared for a long, long time and Rachel felt a blush creeping up her cheeks.

"Jesse," she warned.

He sighed and brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face. "When are you just going to let yourself feel this again? You know it's there. You know it's real."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do." His eyes were burning sincerity. "I've told you a million times. Before was a mistake- I hurt you, and I'm sorry. But you hurt me too. I'd really, truly fallen for you. And here we are again with another chance to try, and you won't let yourself feel what I know you do."

"I don't-"

"Rachel." He sounded slightly worn. "You've been…" He shook his head. "You've been put into a relationship box. You've been told that you're supposed to be supportive and whatnot, but that you're not allowed to complain or feel anything else. And because of that you've shut your inner Rachel-fire down."

She was slightly confused, but she listened anyway. He held her closer and spoke more urgently.

"You're allowed to be angry at him, Rachel. You have the right to be mad. He's not the only victim. Switch of the guilty pining and actually rage at him. Then you'll see your true feelings. I promise."

"And you think my true feelings are that I like you better?"

She was going for sounding cryptic, but her inner doubt turned the words soft. She was as unsure as Jesse said she was.

He smirked down at her. "Baby, our magic together is as sure as the stars."

He lifted her torso closer to him, leaning towards her for a kiss. Rachel's heart began to thud loudly as she panicked. She knew she'd have to kiss Jesse on stage when they were doing the play, but so far they'd stopped rehearsing as it got to any kisses. And somehow she knew that on-stage kisses would be very, very different from the one she was about to get no matter how she felt.

But before she could decide what she wanted, Jesse was kissing her again. And suddenly she was reminded what it was like to be set on fire. Even her toes felt the warmth of his kiss as it seared through every nerve in her body. His smell and heat and presence were overwhelming, intoxicating, raw. Memories of them lying together on her bed as he ran his hands down her hips took over her mind. And a single thought pushed through the delighted haze to make itself known.

If only I'd done it with him. Then Finn's admission wouldn't have been so heartbreaking.

"Jesse, stop," she gasped, pulling her lips away and shoving against his chest. He paid her no heed, pushing against her to kiss her again. "Jesse!"

"Hey! When a girl says stop, you stop," growled a voice.

Both of their faces whirled towards the sound, shocked and surprised. Puck's beaten and bandaid-ed face glared back at them, his eyes hard as stone. Taking advantage of Jesse's surprise, Rachel wriggled herself free and managed to get him to drop her. She took a few steps backwards, distancing herself as she nervously straightened her clothes.

"It's actually none of your business." Jesse's voice was polite, but there was a dangerous undertone.

"Like hell it is," Puck snarled back.

Jesse's politeness vanished. "Oh? Because you think you stand a chance?"

"Even if I didn't _know _that, I still wouldn't wanna see other douche take advantage of her."

Jesse laughed, seemingly unfazed by the few menacing steps forward Puck had taken. "You see why that's ironic, right? At least I dated her for longer than I had one tube of toothpaste."

"Yeah, well at least I did it 'cause I wanted to, not because it was an experiment set to me by my teacher. Did she write you cue-cards, St James?"

Jesse took a step forward this time, humour gone. "At least I didn't make a _mistake _that caused me to be related to Rachel through adoption."

Puck's face turned murderous and he leapt forward. Rachel jumped between the two boys with a cry, feeling suddenly like she was in the middle of a very old movie.

"Cut it out!" she yelled, glaring at both of them. "This is utterly ridiculous! I swear, I'm going to be given a heart attack before I'm thirty! And then _you_ will have to explain to my adoring fans why I died young!"

With a stern and slightly hurt look at Jesse that told him how much she resented him using Beth against Puck, she turned and grabbed the other boy's hand. Tugging with all the strength she had in her body she managed to haul Puck around the corner and away from any immediate fights. He ripped his arm free quickly.

"You should have let me punch that-"

"Noah!" She sounded more worn than angry. "Just… please."

He gave her a dark look. "You're not seriously buying his crap, are you?"

She looked away. "I… I don't know…"

He groaned and threw his hands up. "You are such a damn push-over when it comes to douches! A complete prick just has to romance you a bit and you're willing to forget _everything _they've ever done to you!"

"Is that why we're friends?" she asked coldly, stopping him in his tracks. For a very long time they stared at each other, unsure and a little hurt. Then she sighed. "I don't know how much of what I had with Jesse was real. I don't know what I feel for him now. And the reason for that is… well…"

"You've been whipped by Finn Freakin Hudson to not step wrong or actually feel anything short of freaking adoration." She stared at him so peculiarly that he began to feel a little nervous. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just… Someone else told me something similar…"

He gave her a "see?" look, slouching next to her as they began to head toward the school again. For a long while they walked in silence, then Rachel seemed to snap out of some thoughts and tiredly ran a hand down her face. He stared at the haggard action, wondering when Rachel had grown up so much. She looked at him, glanced over his wounds and frowned.

"Why are you taking this game so seriously?"

He stopped walking, pulling her to an automatic stop too. Suddenly all the acting around him was gone and he was just Noah, not the Puckosaurus or anything remotely similar. Somehow, he couldn't give her anything but the truth in that exact moment.

"Because I'm not so sure it's just a game for me anymore."

Rachel's eyes widened as realization set in. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. And Puck found that he could say nothing, either. There was something about the small, mostly annoying, girl in front of him that kept him hooked. He really, really hated to admit it but he did have a weak spot for her. That's why he'd agreed to help her out in _Run, Joey, Run_, why he'd tried to protect her (sometimes) when nobody else would, why he moved that damned glist off her locker, why he'd decided to play for her of all people. After admitting that, it wasn't too hard to jump to the possibility that maybe, maybe, it was more than just a soft spot.

"Noah…"

He could tell Rachel was realizing and wondering about it all too, and it actually made his heart beat faster. Then he did what he usually did when he thought he liked a girl. He kissed her, long and hard and with as much badass-ness as he could. After what could have been forever they broke apart, staring at each other.

And the true realization hit him with the force of an oncoming truck. "Damn that sucked."

She lurched a little bit, looking surprised and hurt. "I... I'm sorry I haven't kissed anybody in a while and-"

"Not you," he growled impatiently. "Us. Kissing. It was… Damn I don't even know how to explain it… I've never felt that when kissing somebody before. Usually when I feel guilty for somebody its really small guilt hidden underneath the hotness and whatever. But it's not like the idea of kissing you repulsed me. It's just, after all we've been through- all the shit and freaking drama and babies and whatnot- kissing you was…"

"Like kissing your sister?" Rachel tried, a small smile on her lips.

"What? N… Yeah. Yeah, it was like kissing my little sister. Hot but in a really, really wrong kinda way."

She laughed, sounding rather relieved. "It was the same for me," she admitted. "Like kissing my brother. Or at least my cousin."

"Damn," he swore again, frowning. "So now what?"

She raised her eyebrows. "You know people of the opposite genders can just be friends, right?"

He took a moment to think about that. Friends with Rachel Berry. That meant he was allowed to still kinda hate her for being selfish and annoying and way too interested in gay things. But it also meant he could still count on her to say something so ridiculous he'd laugh, or patch him up after fights. It meant he could still feel the same about her as he did now (now that he realized what it was he felt like hanging his head against a chainsaw for even thinking he just wanted to date her and get in her pants). It meant he'd have somebody who truly understood what it was to be a Jew and who wouldn't judge him too harshly.

"Friends with benefits?" he tried. (It would be a total bonus if they could still make out when they were both lonely. What? She was hot.)

"Noah!" she groaned, rubbing her temples.

He sighed in distain. "A guy can hope. So… friends…" He pulled a face at the word, making her laugh. "I ain't doing nothing sappy, okay? And I'll still Slushie you if you get on my nerves."

"Deal," she smiled, bumping him playfully as they continued to walk.

And, suddenly, Noah Puckerman was looking forward to being friends with a girl for more reasons than just lust.

-x-x-x-

If they were being very honest with themselves, the kids of glee had to admit that they were a little excited about what Mr Schuester had planned for them. He'd left a note on the choir room door telling them to meet in the auditorium because he had 'something different' planned for that afternoon. Nobody could guess what it was, and there was some concern that it would be more jazz or 'old people music'.

When their teacher appeared, all smiles and optimism, they decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"So! Regionals is really soon, guys." He grinned as cheers and war cries sounded from his group. "And even though we're doing an awesome job this year, we can't forget to look back and improve on what we did. So that's our theme for this afternoon: rewind. Sam is going to sit in the audience with me while you guys perform the numbers from last year's Regionals. And the two of us are gonna nitpick out all the little things that we have to work on."

There were murmurings of agreement and general excitement as most of the group moved toward the stage. Mr Schuester called out the band and told them that- even though they were performing- they had to look for mistakes too.

"Just be kind when you tell people about them," he added, giving Rachel a look.

She just gave him an innocent smile which made Mercedes and Tina laugh. Tina squeezed Rachel's arm as Mr Schue had a word with just the band. She could tell the little brunette star was nervous: their first song at Regionals had been _Faithfully_. The quiet girl gave Mercedes, Quinn and Mike concerned looks, which they all returned. They needn't have worried, though, as Mr Schue's thoughts had also strayed to the song choice.

"Alright, guys. We're going to do the mash-up so we can work on our group skills." Everybody knew that was just an excuse to skip the now tabooed song. "Everybody ready? Let's go."

The drummer counted down for them as they all spun around, standing with their backs to the audience. Sam, who had never seen the routine before, sat forward in interest. Rachel led them as they all spun around, starting the song with their usual energy.

"_**Any way you want it**_

_**That's the way you need it**_

_**Any way you want it**_."

As the band picked up and they began to dance, all the previous tension seemed to melt away. No matter how much animosity there was between the members of glee, it almost never impacted their singing. Finn led the boys forward, taking on his solo with ease.

"_She loves to laugh_

_She loves to sing _

_She loves everything _

_She loves to move _

_She loves to grove_

_-She loves the lovin' things_."

For a moment, the kids felt lost. Every single time they'd practiced the song that last line had been sung by both Finn and Rachel. But this time Finn had stopped singing, making Rachel's voice the only one to be heard. Sneaking a quick glance at his face, Mike saw that he regretted the move already. But there was no time to repair it- the song had to continue. And, without missing a beat or even allowing any expression to show on her face, Rachel continued with her and the girls' turn, her walk and voice strong and unwavering.

"_It won't be long, yeah_

'_Till you're alone _

_When your lover_

_-Lover_"

Rachel had to grin as Mercedes got her intro perfectly. The other diva winked back at her as the girls continued to move.

"_Oh he hasn't come home_

_-Oooh home_."

Suddenly Rachel found herself grinning at Quinn, doing the slightly sexy moves while singing to the blond cheerleader. The two were grinning so hard their faces hurt.

"'_Cause he's lovin' _

_-Lovin' _

_-He's touchin' _

_-Touchin' _

_-__**He's squeezin' another**_

_-Another!_"

As they whirled away and began to dance, singing together in a chorus, Rachel took the chance to try and swallow her hurt at Finn's actions. She could understand that he was mad, but it was one line. Just one. And he'd dropped her on it.

"_**Any way you want it**_

_**That's the way you need it**_

_**Any way you want it**_

_**He said anyway you want it**_

_**That's the way you need it**_

_**Any way you want it**_."

As the rest of the club took on the "na na"s, a thought struck Rachel. It wasn't the first time Finn had dropped her. It wasn't the first time she had jumped into something expecting him to be in step with her only to find herself floundering and alone. And as she automatically did the dance steps, she remembered Jesse's words.

"_You're allowed to be angry at him, Rachel. You have the right to be mad. He's not the only victim. Switch of the guilty pining and actually rage at him." _

"_You're allowed to be angry." _

And, suddenly, she was. Her guilt and longing and hurt all melted away into an anger she had hardly ever felt before. All the uncertainties of her feelings for Finn, all the hurt and the hateful guilt and everything else she had been feeling for _that boy _boiled up inside her until she was ready to just scream. Instead, she continued to dance, keeping her newly found rage pent up inside her. She would not break down in front of her glee-mates. She'd vowed that the first time Santana had raged. It would never be her to lose her control quite that much. And so she stood on the sidelines as Puck sang his solo.

"_I was alone _

_I never knew_

_What good love_

_Could do_."

It was then that Rachel and Finn sang together for the first time since their breakup, their voices meshing together as easily as they ever had. They bounded forward as they were supposed to, but this time there was no smile on either of their faces.

"_**Oooh then we touched**_

_**Then we sang **_

_**About the lovin' things**_."

Everybody else got into their new positions: the girls slipping behind the guys to pat their chests as they sang the words. But Rachel did not move. Instead, she turned straight to Finn and looked him square in the eyes. She put all her anger and accusations into her next words, spitting them out like fire.

"'_**Cause he's lovin'**_

_-Lovin'_

_**-He's touchin' **_

_-Touchin'_

_-__**He's squeezin' **_

_**Another**_**." **

She whipped around to go and dance somewhere else, the rage streaming off her. Finn stood completely frozen in shock in her wake. Only the once, when Rachel had slapped him for using her, had he ever seen her close to as angry as she looked then. And her rage had been directed at him. After Mike bumped into him and then given him a curious look he began to move, but it was auto-piloted without joy. His head was reeling with the fury he'd seen in Rachel's eyes and the way the words of the song had been hurled at him as an accusation. As they continued to sing he looked over to her as though looking for confirmation that she was real. He caught sight of her and Puck dancing together, close and seemingly comfortable with it.

Rage poured into his body again. She had no right to be mad at him. He was the one wronged. The rest of the song passed in a blur. He didn't know what he was singing, which moves he was doing. All he knew was that he was feeling his old rage burning through his body again. And it wanted to get out. As soon as the last note played itself out, Rachel began marching off the stage, her body stiff with rage.

"R…Rachel?" Mr Schue couldn't actually believe what he was seeing.

In the space of a three-minute song, Rachel had gone from happy to murderous. And he had no idea why. She continued marching, her eyes stony pits of spiting rage.

"I have play rehearsal," she responded shortly.

"Like hell, you do."

Everyone whirled to Finn in shock, unable to really process that the Puck-like words had come from his mouth. Rachel turned back to the stage to be met with Finn's equally-as-angry face. Her guard went up instantly.

"Do you have a problem?" she spat out.

"Yeah, you know what, I do," he growled back. "You aren't going anywhere."

"Oh and now you suddenly think you have the right to tell me what to do, Finn Hudson?" she snarled back, her hands curling into fists.

"I think after everything, I do," came his cold response.

Rachel actually snarled. "You," she seethed, her small frame shaking with rage. "are a total and complete-"

"Guys!" Mr Schuester tried unsuccessfully to hide the shock in his voice.

The rest of the club gaped on silently, unsure of how to react. Finn and Rachel had always argued in a different way. It was always over-dramatic, always more sulking and moping than anything else. They had never yelled at each other before, much less this level of it.

"I think the two of you should go talk things out in the dressing room," Mr Schue continued in a quiet yet stern voice.

For a long time, Rachel and Finn only glared. Then they both marched out of the auditorium, not even noticing the shocked faces on their backs. She was the first one in the dressing room, and she spun to face her ex.

"What do you want, Finn?" Her voice was not friendly.

"Where the hell do you get off being mad at me?" he fumed back. "You're the one who kissed Puck!"

"You're the one who swore you'd _never _break up with me!" she shot back, unsure of where her venom was coming from.

His face turned murderous. "So, what? I was just supposed to let it go? Pretend it never happened? Cut you _another _break? You know that I've been the one to stand-"

"That. Is. Absolute. _Bull_."

The combination of her pure rage and the fact that she'd actually sort-of said a swearword made him shut up right then. Rachel glared at him with something that looked suspiciously close to hate. He swore his heart stopped beating.

"You let them bully me," she accused him. "You let them insult everything about me from my heritage to my clothes. Maybe you stopped them once or twice but when it came down to the crunch I might as well have been standing with a wall decoration. And do you know what? I didn't blame you for it. I knew how important popularity was for you and I let it go. I trusted you when you said popularity would never come between us in the sense that you'd go for a Cheerio."

Her laugh was bitter. "And yet all that time you were lying to me through your teeth. So, yes, Finn. I cheated on you with your once best friend. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I don't actually know how many times you want me to say it before it penetrates that I _regret it_. But do you know why I went to Noah? Not because kissing him would hurt you most. I went because he actually stood up for me. More than once. He chose me over football when he had to. And I needed something to stop the hurt."

Finn spluttered. "We weren't even together when Santana and I-!"

"No," she interrupted again. "You weren't. But you lied to me about it. You lied to me about using another girl to gain more popularity. Or whatever your reasoning was. And, Finn, I don't like what that says about you. In fact, I've began to wonder about us."

He was shocked into silence, just staring at her with wide eyes.

"I thought I loved you. So very, very much. But now, after Jesse and Noah and all this animosity… I don't know." Her face was sad now. "I don't know if it was just infatuation, just me settling for the ultimate fantasy and convincing myself I was in love with you."

She took advantage of his silence and headed towards the door. Her last words were soft and full of pain.

"And if being your girlfriend means being unable to be me and being bullied all the time… I don't know if I want to love you, Finn."

The strange buzzing in his ears made it impossible to hear anything else. It felt like the world had stopped, like everything had been exposed to be just another painted backdrop in somebody else's cruel version of a movie. He vaguely found himself sitting down, his head and heart reeling. He could admit to himself that he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. But even he could put the pieces together this time. And he didn't like the picture they were creating.

He must have sat there for at least an hour, thinking everything through more carefully than he had ever done. He would have been there longer if Kurt hadn't come in.

"_There _you are. Gosh, I searched this entire bloody school for you. Come on, my dad's waiting in the car."

Finn stared at him blankly, not following the meaning behind Kurt's words. The shorter boy's irritation was replaced with concern, and he took a step closer.

"Finn?" There was worry laced in the quiet question.

"I've been a total ass, haven't I?" Finn breathed.

For a moment, Kurt didn't react. Then, slowly, he nodded. Finn flinched, feeling the daggers in his heart twist more. His gaze turned imploring and almost panicky.

"What do I do?"

Kurt's head cocked to the side in thought. When he replied, his words were careful. "Figure out what she means to you. Figure out if you're willing to let go of your rep to save her. Figure out if she's _really _worth it all. And, if she is, do everything to win her back."

The football player nodded, lurching to his feet and following Kurt quietly. He still had no idea exactly what he was feeling or thinking. Let alone what he wanted to do. All he knew was that there was not even a trace of anger for Rachel Berry in his heart.


	9. 8: Crossing Over

**AN: **The day is nearly upon us, friends. Tomorrow is the long-awaited episode 11 of Glee season two. And so, as promised, here is the last chapter of my fic. As vain as this may sound, I hope that something like this happens in cannon. I do assure you that I will be anxiously awaiting Finchel's revival.

Thank you so very, very much for sticking with me. Those 76 reviews are the most amazing things in the world to me. A special thanks to those who have reviewed every chapter, especially when they came into the story late. I appreciate it more than you will ever know. Here's the last chapter. Hope you enjoy. And a warning: Sappy, cliché fluff ahead.

**Reviews will be adored!

* * *

**

_One person singing. _

**_Two or more people singing_**

_-Another person coming into the song _

**Disclaimer: **Own nothing but the intense hope that is riding on the next couple of episodes.

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Crossing Over**

It's a strange thing, being part of a group. You don't even have to be all that close with everybody before you start thinking as one. For example, the time when Mr Schue had started Acafellas and they'd gotten in Dakota Stanley. They hadn't said a word to each other, but they'd somehow all known that everybody wanted him gone.

Another example of the group mind was in the way that nobody dared to so much as think of the Rachel-Finn blow-up around the two the next day. In an utterly unspoken agreement that stretched even to Mr Schuester, the moment was dismissed from memory. Which suited Rachel and Finn just fine: the two of them acted as if the other didn't exist. But, somehow, those in the glee club could tell that the silence was not an angry one. It was a confused silence; one that told them they didn't have a clue what they were to each other anymore.

"You guys get another 'day off' today," Mr Schue smiled at them. "Because we're taking another break from our assignment this week. Tomorrow evening is parents' night, and Principal Fig has just told me that he wants us to do a few numbers as part of the school's presentation." Catching sight of the less-than-enthusiastic looks on their faces, he quickly elaborated. "We'll be in the auditorium and the doors will be left open for anybody who wants to come and see. Unfortunately, that will mostly mean it'll just be your parents who watch you."

"Considering the alternative, that's more than fine," Artie assured him, and many people agreed.

"Okay, now for the fun part." Mr Schue grinned in such a way that perked the interest of some, and created a sense of utter foreboding in others. "You guys all get to choose which songs you're doing and how many of you are doing it. But each of you has to sing a song by the opposite sex. That means girls, you're singing a guy's song. And guys…"

"Aww, come on, Mr Schue! Us guys _always _have to sing woman songs," Finn complained at once.

The rest of the boys agreed in varying intensities until Quinn smirked.

"What? Don'tcha think you can pull it off?" The rest of the girls all ooohed while the boys scowled. "'Cause we aren't complaining."

"Yeah," Mercedes chimed in. "We can sing a dude song better than they can."

"Hey, we can sing chick songs," Sam said at once, looking affronted.

"Then prove it!" Quinn challenged him.

And that was that: the guys were in. Laughing quietly to themselves, the girls broke off to discuss doing a big group number. Rachel was, once again, the one with the big ideas. There was a moment of friction when Santana spoke out against her but the words weren't nearly as bitchy as they could have been, and Rachel just inclined her head and took Santana's view into consideration. It seemed the fragile, unspoken truce was still in play, somehow.

The boys, meanwhile, were all putting out ideas for solo items. Finn wasn't paying much attention. For the entire previous night his entire focus had been on Rachel. He'd thought over her words and (even though he loathed to admit it) Puck's accusations. And even though Puck wasn't exactly one of his favourite people, his words had suddenly not seemed like complete garbage any more.

But even though he'd thought it over the entire night, he felt nowhere closer to a decision. And, when he'd finally been able to fall asleep, he'd been plagued with confusing nightmares that made him more worn out than anything else. He hated what Rachel had done to him. He hated the fact that she had once again over-exaggerated everything and acted out her dramatics in her spur-of-the-moment hurt. He hated the all-too-familiar visions of Puck's hands running down her, of their lips entwining. He hated that he hadn't been enough for her. He hated that he hadn't acted like enough for her. Yea, he now saw that half the blame was his. It was a very, very hard thing to swallow but he could no longer deny his involvement. He'd been so sure it was all Rachel's fault only to discover that his actions had not been as loyal and good as they should have been.

And that knowledge burned away some of the anger he had for her. The rage and betrayal and hurt he'd seen in her eyes chased away the red haze of fury that had settled about him since Sectionals. But the clearer view didn't make things easier. He was still so hurt at what she had done. And there was no way he wanted to give himself to her- he didn't trust her. He didn't really know that she wouldn't break him again. But then there was the side of him that ached at the memory of her tears and her words. That part made him dream of her walking away from him over and over again. And the two battling parts of his brain could not come to an agreement.

He mulled things over in his head as he watched the girls conversing. Rachel was excited, her hands flying everywhere as she expressed herself in her usual, dramatic way. She laughed at something Tina said, her eyes crinkling in that special way that had always melted his heart. Santana sent another jab at her, but before she could answer Mercedes stepped up to her defence, throwing an arm around Rachel's shoulders in an automatic gesture. Rachel's soft, thankful smile seared into his brain like an explosion.

He'd always laughed at the parts of romance movies when the main guy character insisted he 'suddenly just _knew_'. But at that very moment, the same thing happened to him. Looking at Mercedes protecting the little brunette, Finn's first and highly intense thought was that he wanted that to be him. He wanted to hold her, keep her safe, make her smile like that. He wanted to be the person she'd thought he was. He wanted to make her and Puck's accusations just meaningless anger. As much as he didn't trust her, as hurt and slightly angry as he still was, he didn't want his dreams to come true. Because at that moment he realized how possible it was for Rachel to really wash her hands of him forever. And the thought of truly losing her sent his entire body- even the distrustful, hurt angry parts- into waves of pure panic and terror. Taking a deep breath, he followed Kurt's advice and asked himself the questions that had been running through his mind like a battery toy on supercharge.

"Figure out what she means to you." Everything. More than he'd first thought. She was his best friend, his anchor, practically his other half. She had so many flaws but even though she wasn't perfect, he realized she was perfect for him. They'd have to work on it. Hell, they'd have to work on it a lot. The scars they'd inflicted ran deep this time. But he wanted to work on it. He didn't mind how it would hurt. She couldn't leave.

"Figure out if you're willing to let go of your rep to save her." If it meant hearing her taking back that she didn't know if she wanted to love him, he'd give up the world.

"Figure out if she's really worth it all." Yes. Oh hell, yes.

"And, if she is, do everything to win her back."

He swivelled around to the rest of the guys before he could chicken out. This was far too important for him to be a wuss.

"Guys? I need your help."

-x-x-x-

As Mr Schue had predicted, the auditorium was mostly empty. And the few seats that were occupied were mostly full of parents and the occasional sibling. Still, it was a relief to see some faces out in the crowd, especially when Kurt waved to them, a huge smile on his face. After he was absolutely sure nobody else was coming in, Mr Schuester walked to the mic in the center of the stage and waited for silence.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to William McKinley High. Now, as you know, we've recently kicked the slightly redundant glee club into a whole new gear. And the kids… they're amazing. Beyond amazing. And the best way to explain 'amazing' to you is to let you see it. Now I let them have free reign with tonight's line-up. The only condition was that they had to sing songs previously done by the opposite gender. So, I'm gonna be as surprised as you guys are." There was a ripple of laughter as he pulled a scared face. "And here are the kids of New Directions!"

Applause scattered through the big room as Mr Schue dragged the mic offstage and went to sit. The lights dimmed, and the little show started. First up were Quinn and Sam, doing the duet that Rachel recommended for them. Sam took on the Annie side of the _Anything You Can Do _duet, while Quinn happily took on Frank's part. The blond football star went hopelessly out of tune on the high notes, but it was so comical that nobody minded. At the end, when they joined hands to bow, the applause was thundering.

Artie took over the whole stage by singing the song he'd admittedly first done under what Mr Schue still staunchly called a 'dangerous narcotic'. But, dream or not, Artie pulled off _Stronger _very well, earning him tons of applause (and screams from Brittany) when he was done. Santana was next, wowing those who had never heard her sing with her rendition of _Lips of an Angel_. After that, the night returned to comedy when Puck sauntered onto stage to perform a solo of _Whip My Hair_ whilst wearing the remains of a mop on his head.

Everybody was still laughing rather hysterically a few minutes after the song had ended.

Finally, it was time of the girls' group number. The stage was too dark to see anything more than their general silhouettes and the hulking form of the small portable stairs they had dragged on. And then the backtrack started, and the guys in the audience began to whoop as two small spotlights illuminated Mercedes and Brittany. They were wearing full-on tuxes, their hair pulled back under top hats as they stood at the top of the stage and began to sing.

"_**Yes I can see her**_

'_**Cause every girl in here**_

_**Wanna be her**__." _

Light fell on the girls a step down who turned out to be Tina and Santana. All four continued to sing.

"_**Oh she's a diva **_

_**I feel the same**_

_**And I wanna meet her**_."

Finally Rachel and Quinn were revealed on the last two steps, standing back-to-back in the center.

"_**They say she low down**_

_**It's just a rumour **_

_**And I don't believe 'em **_

_**They say she needs to slow down **_

_**The baddest thing around town**_**.**"

All the girls slunk down the steps at that last part, until they were in a row on the floor. And then, reaching the bridge, they began to really dance. To Mr Schue's relief the moves were not overly-sexual. They were controlled and smooth with a lot of swapping hats and jerky stops after a line.

"_**She's nothin' like **_

_**A girl you've ever seen before **_

_**Nothin' you can compare **_

_**To your neighbourhood**_

_**Shh!**_

_**I'm tryna find **_

_**The words to describe this girl**_

_**Without being disrespectful.**_"

The moves picked up their pace, flowing into smooth dance steps with a little bit of grinding here and there.

"_**The way that booty movin' **_

_**I can't take no more **_

_**Have to stop what I'm doin' **_

_**So I can pull her close **_

_**I'm tryna find **_

_**The words to describe this girl**_

_**Without being disrespectful!**_"

Brittany and Tina, the two best dancers by far, spun off to the corners of the stage and began a very complicated, very beautiful set of steps. The rest stayed in the middle and did very basic moves as they revolved slowly in a large circle.

"_**Damn girl! **_

_**Damn, you's a sexy chick**_

_**A sexy chick **_

_**Damn, you's a sexy chick. **_

_**Damn girl! **_

_**Damn, you's a sexy chick**_

_**A sexy chick **_

_**Damn, you's a sexy chick.**_

_**Damn girl!**_"

Santana joined Brittany and Tina in the center, dancing her heart out with the other two. Quinn, Mercedes and Rachel went back stage and re-emerged carrying a towel-like piece of material each. They danced along in the back, using the material as a prop. When they began singing again, the three in the front stayed there, capturing all eyes with their dancing.

"_**Yes I can see her**_

'_**Cause every girl in here**_

_**Wanna be her**__._

_**Oh she's a diva **_

_**I feel the same**_

_**And I wanna meet her**_."

The lights dimmed even more, spotlights focusing on the three dancers in the front. Behind them, Quinn, Rachel And Mercedes stood in a circle and raised their material, forming a closed-off cylinder in the middle of them.

"_**They say she low down**_

_**It's just a rumour **_

_**And I don't believe 'em **_

_**They say she needs to slow down **_

_**The baddest thing around town**_**.**"

Tina, Brittany and Santana all leant to the side and froze there, the spotlight focusing on the other three girls as they stood, now in center stage. They fell silent too, and let the material they were holding fall. In the middle of their body-created circle stood Kurt, clothed in a tuxedo with glitter over his eyes. He was given the solo.

"_She's nothin' like _

_A girl you've ever seen before_

_Nothin' you can compare _

_To your neighbourhood"_

Rachel reached up from behind him and placed her finger on her lips as the three girls hissed 'shh!'. Then, as he began to sing again, they began to circle him, running their hands down his chest and shimmying around his hips in the most suggestive moves they could get away with.

"_I'm tryna find _

_The words to describe this girl_

_Without being disrespectful." _

One by one, line by line, the girls started filling in again.

"_The way that booty movin'_

_**-I can't take no more **_

_**-Have to stop what I'm doin' **_

_**-So I can pull her close **_

_**-I'm tryna find **_

_**The words to describe this girl**_

_**-Without being disrespectful!**_"

And then Quinn was dancing with Santana as Tiny and Brittany whirled across the stage, and Mercedes and Rachel were being whirled around by Kurt.

"_**Damn girl!**_

_**Damn, you's a sexy chick**_

_**A sexy chick **_

_**Damn, you's a sexy chick. **_

_**Damn girl! **_

_**Damn, you's a sexy chick**_

_**A sexy chick **_

_**Damn, you's a sexy chick.**_

_**Damn, you's a sexy chick.!**_"

They ended all in a bundle, leaning in and over each other with Kurt more-or-less in the middle. The applause was very loud, and they all laughed. Mercedes and Rachel each kissed one of Kurt's cheeks before Quinn and Tina gave him a hug. Then, linking arms, they all walked off the stage, laughing and slightly breathless. Mr Schuester was about to get up and say something else when Finn appeared on the stage.

"Uhm…. Hi." The room fell silent again, and he shifted nervously. "I… er… Well… I've been kinda confused about a few things lately. But… Uhm… I finally figured them out. And… I'm not really good with the whole talkin' thing but… I've been taught that it's okay to sing it instead." He gave a sheepish smile. "And I know this song's been done in glee before but I was really pressed for time and I don't know of any other girl songs that say what I feel. So…"

The rest of the guys from glee all filed onto the stage behind him, and he nodded to the band to start. The key they started in was lower, and so it took them a moment to recognise the song. With the rest of the boys dancing in the background, Finn began to sing.

"_Guess this means you're sorry _

_You're standing at my door_

_Guess this means you take back_

_All you said before _

_Like how much you wanted_

_Anyone but me _

_Said you'd never come back_

_But here you are again._"

The guys all filled in around him, and he began to do their simple dance moves too as they all chimed in for the chorus.

"'_**Cause we belong **_

_**Together now, yeah **_

_**Forever united here**_

_**Somehow, yeah **_

_**You got a piece of me**_

_**And honestly **_

_**My life**_

_**Would suck**_

_**Without you.**_"

Finn was left standing alone in the center again as the rest of the guys followed Mike's lead in the dancing. Finn took a deep breath, and then looked Rachel straight in the eyes, purposefully changing the lyrics around a bit.

"_Baby, I was stupid _

_For telling you goodbye _

_Baby, I was wrong for_

_Tryna pick a fight_

_I know that I've got issues_

_But you're pretty messed up too _

_Either way I found out_

_I'm nothing without you."_

Rachel was frozen, almost not breathing as her heart thumped and her gaze remained captured in those beautiful brown eyes. His sheepish smile at the line that she was messed up almost broke her on the spot. Then the guys came back for the chorus, but Finn still didn't look away. And she found herself believing that they were the only two people in the world.

"'_**Cause we belong **_

_**Together now, yeah **_

_**Forever united here**_

_**Somehow, yeah **_

_**You got a piece of me**_

_**And honestly **_

_**My life**_

_**-My life**_

_**Would suck**_

_**-Would suck**_

_**Without you.**_"

The dancing came to an abrupt halt, all of the guys leaning over Finn as he crouched and sang the next bit.

"_Being with you_

_Is so dysfunctional _

_I really shouldn't miss you_

**_-But I can't let you go_**

_Oh no._"

While Puck, Finn and Artie continued to saunter around at the back of the stage, humming away with the band, Sam and Mike came up to where the girls and Kurt were sitting in the front row. Giving their respective girlfriend's a kiss they then grinned at each other and swooped upon Rachel. With a surprised squawk the brunette found herself being lifted up and carried onto the stage. She was placed on a pedestal as Finn broke off to stand on the opposite end of the stage. The rest of the guys started to circle her.

"'_**Cause we belong **_

_**Together now, yeah **_

_**Forever united here**_

_**Somehow, yeah **_

_**You got a piece of me**_…"

They all pointed to her as they sang it and Rachel had to laugh, enjoying the attention and the sincerity of their words. Sitting up there, being surrounded and serenaded by four out of five of the guys in New Directions, she knew they really were a family.

"_**And honestly **_

_**My life**_

_**-My life**_

_**Would suck**_

_**-Would suck**_

_**Without you.**_"

Puck grabbed her hand and gently pulled her off, dragging her to center stage and beginning to dance a slightly uncoordinated version of the two-step. He sang the chorus down to her, smiling with his eyes.

"'_**Cause we belong **_

_**Together now, yeah **_

_**Forever united here**_

_**Somehow, yeah.**_"

Puck spun her around, squeezing her hand slightly just before he let go. And suddenly she was facing Finn, who was walking closer as the guys let him sing the last bit alone. His eyes didn't leave hers for a second.

"_And honestly _

_My life_

_**-My life**_

_Would suck_

_**-Would suck**_

_Without you._"

By the end of the song he'd reached her. With only a moment's hesitation, he bent down and kissed her full on the lips. At that exact moment, Rachel felt exactly like Goldilocks.

Kissing Jesse had been too hot. He was too much like her; too dramatic, too suave, too perfect. He was too much her match to ever really complete her. Kissing Puck had been hopelessly too cold. His badboy behaviour would always make her heart flutter a little, but it would never go beyond that. They'd shared too much with each other. They were too similar in ways that made them more like family than she'd ever been with another person before. They were always destined to love each other moderately, platonically.

But kissing Finn… Kissing Finn was just right. Her late-night memories had done his lips no justice. She was being warmed in every part of her being- right from her head to her toes to the innermost cracks of her heart. In that kiss she could hear all the things he wanted to say but didn't have the words for. He was, and always had been, her weakest spot.

And that suddenly scared her. In an impossibly short time, Rachel had come to realize that being intoxicated was not really the best thing. You had to be clear-headed in life, or else everything was a delusion. And while her body was singing at the feel of Finn's lips, her mind was telling her it wasn't right. She had to be sure. She could not let herself be kissed like that by Finn until she knew if she really, truly wanted it. If he wanted her.

Ripping herself away she backed up, her eyes wide and her hands trembling. His gaze followed hers, innocent and bewildered and hurt.

"I have a play rehearsal to get to," she whispered, before all but fleeing off the stage.

"Rachel!"

She didn't stop. She couldn't. If she let herself listen, she'd be pulled under again. And that wasn't fair to either of them.

"Rachel, please!"

"Dude, you'd better start talking fast or you're going to lose her." Rachel wasn't sure who'd spoken.

"I'm sorry!" She continued walking, craving the doors with all her heart. "I was out of line. A lot." He began speaking faster, so that his words nearly blurred together. "I was just so mad and I kept thinking 'Shit, it's happened again.' And I tried so hard to put you and Quinn in the same category, 'cause I thought I'd be able to get over it quicker."

It was a mark of how well she truly knew Finn Hudson that she knew his pause was to shoot Quinn an apologetic look. She had the feeling Quinn would let him have his say, no matter how much it hurt her.

"But I couldn't," Finn continued desperately. "It didn't even work in my head. And I couldn't figure out why I couldn't make you the same. It took me almost a month to realize it's because my feelings are different. I liked Quinn, really I did but… Damn it, Rachel, I love you. So much."

The words froze her in her tracks just as her hand grasped the door handle. Suddenly, she couldn't quite remember how to breathe. Finn took advantage of her halt to take a few deep breaths. Then he continued in a softer voice.

"Rachel." She couldn't help but turn around, swallowing past the lump that was suddenly in her throat. "I messed up. In the things I said, and how I treated you when we were together… And I'm… so sorry. You know I'm not so good when it comes to catching on to things. And popularity issues… But I really do love you. And I'm so sorry you ever doubted that. And…"

Now he stopped his slow movements toward her, suddenly looking like he was struggling with his own lump. The rest of the auditorium was deathly silent, every eye on the two people who were standing a foot apart.

"I know I hurt you. And those things you said in the dressing room… I… I _swear_ I will do everything and anything in my power to make you love me even a little bit as much as I love you. _Anything_. We both have some talking to do… Okay, a lot of talking… To patch things up but… I'm not just gonna sit back and watch you leave any more. I can't."

Her heart was screaming at her to do something, to make some form of move. But for once, she wasn't sure what that move was. Hurt and comfort, love and anger, betrayal and trust all warred within her as she stared into his eyes. And suddenly, alarmingly, she wasn't sure if she was being sucked in again. In panic she looked back at her glee-mates, her expression pleading.

Tina nodded to her. Mercedes gave her a 'damn girl, kiss him!' look. Kurt nodded vigorously. Brittany gave her a small smile that didn't help but was reassuring, somehow. Quinn and Santana gave each other a look before nodding, their faces carefully blank. Still unconvinced, Rachel found her eyes turning to Puck. He stared at her for a moment, then raised his eyebrow and made a thrusting motion with his hips. It was vulgar, but the meaning was clear.

Finn was still babbling, sounding panicky and more and more unsure as the moments went on. Dragging her gaze away from Puck's sincere one, she closed the distance between her and Finn. Before he could even stop talking she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

There were whoops and catcalls from the members of glee- their way of politely saying "We can tolerate that" or "We support you" or even "FREAKING FINALLY!" Slipping down and breaking the kiss, Rachel couldn't help but smile at the look in Finn's eyes.

"We need to talk," she told him seriously.

Nodding, he opened the door behind her and both of them slipped out. The auditorium began filling with conversation again as the parents began talking to each other, too content to get up. Tina bit her lip and stared at the door.

"I hope they'll be okay," she murmured.

Santana snorted behind her. "Please. They'll be nauseating for the rest of their school careers, possibly even after. Take it from me- I know."

The conversation turned to other things again, and the kids and adults filled the small space with about six different conversations. Kurt went to talk to his father and new mother, obviously filling them in on the whole Finn-Rachel drama. He left out the minor detail of what had made Rachel mad enough to kiss Puck in the first place- Carol really didn't need to know. The members of New Directions looked up quickly as the door to the auditorium opened, but it wasn't Rachel or Finn who entered.

"Have you seen Rachel?" Jesse asked them. "She's supposed to be at rehearsal."

"Her and Finn are talking, somewhere," Mercedes replied.

Jesse's eyes narrowed slightly. "Talking?"

"Yeah. _Talking_." Quinn gave him a look that gave him the gist of the situation.

His shoulders stiffened. "I see."

He whipped out his mobile and began texting furiously, his face unreadable. It was only a little while later that Rachel and Finn re-entered the room. Rachel sought out Jesse and then moved towards him rather cautiously.

"You texted?"

"You're really needed at practice. Complete catastrophe. They were practically crying when they sent me to get you," he replied, looking straight at Finn.

"Uh… Okay…" She looked between the two boys. "Let's go, then."

"I'll meet you there. I have to get the stuff we stashed in the art room."

Looking like it was completely against her better judgement, Rachel left after casting the two boys another look. By now the adults had noticed something was up, and they were staring at Finn and Jesse as intently as the kids were.

"So." Jesse's voice was deadpan as he looked up at Finn's towering form. "How long before you break up with her this time?"

Finn's face turned shocked and then furious. He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything Puck interjected.

"Sorry, St Douche. But no matter when it is, Berry will still have her sanity then. So you still won't stand a chance."

There were snickers and approving noises from the teens around him. Finn's face lost its rage. Jesse scowled but then nodded, looking every bit the part of the tragic hero.

"Fair enough. How about we settle this right now, Hudson? The sing-off that was always meant to be."

Finn remained stoic. "No matter how many times we sing against each other and no matter what the outcome is she'll always pick me."

The football player's confidence seemed unwavering, but inside he knew he was just saying the words he desperately wanted to be true. What if they weren't? What if he'd lose to Jesse again? What if…?

_Screw that. I'll make it true_. His eyes hardened.

Jesse saw the change and his shoulders dropped slightly.

"Alright." He nodded, frowning. "I'll admit it was partially my mistake. I got blinded by my brilliance and convinced myself I didn't love her. And I haven't been given enough time to make up for that. Nor have I really been going at it the right way, I suppose. She's so much like me that I thought… that her and I…" He sighed. "Hudson, I'll return the favour you granted me when I was the one dating her. I'll stay away from your girl in every way that isn't professional. I owe it to my image, my fans, and her heart, which I'll always love almost as much as myself."

"Great," Finn said, looking slightly wry at the dramatics.

"But." Jesse's posture straightened up even more, and he glared Finn straight in the face. "I'm going to be watching. One slip, one tiny notion that her heart isn't yours any more and our deal is off. Because I won't let her go a second time."

"Fine. But if you try and take her while she still agrees to have me…" Finn had never looked quite so threatening. "Then I _will _hurt you."

With a curt nod, Jesse headed briskly toward the door, his movements slightly tragic and his head held high.

"Oh and Jesse?" The older teen turned back to see Finn staring at him seriously. "You're gonna be waiting a really, really long time."

And just like that, Finn Hudson staked his claim. And Jesse- who was no fool- knew he'd lost. With another nod he left, leaving Finn to stare at the door. There were whoops from the kids of New Directions, and Mike slapped him on the back. At their congratulations, Finn's hundred-watt smile spread across his face. It was the first they had seen since before Christmas.


	10. Epilogue: On With The Show

**AN: **Last installment, guys. Thank you so, so, so, so very much to everybody who read, reviewed, faved, alerted and whatnot. You guys rule. Happy Finchel-ing. =]

**Reviews will be adored! **

_One person singing. _

_**Two or more people singing**_

_-Another person coming into the song _

**Disclaimer: **Nothing is mine except the desire for Finchel. That makes me pretty sad because Thunder is one of the most epic love songs ever written.

* * *

**Epilogue: On With The Show**

Despite her knowledge that she was a really great performer, Rachel still got nervous. And, seeing as it was only about an hour before opening night, the nerves were attacking her in waves. Finally she couldn't take it any more and she began to pace, muttering her lines under her breath as she went.

"You're gonna wear a hole in the floor."

Finn grinned at her from the doorway, his easy smile chasing away some of her fear. She stopped pacing but instead began twisting her hands anxiously. Her and Finn had talked seriously over a few days and they'd decided to start things out slow. There had been a point, when they were talking about the infidelity, that Rachel had worried Finn would leave her again. But they'd worked through it and promised to continue doing so with the help of their friends and school guidance councillor.

(Although Rachel had her misgivings about what Emma could do for them. The woman was obviously as in love with Will as he was with her, but she'd still married her dentist. In Vegas. Finn agreed, but both decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.)

"Hey," she answered him softly, her voice wavering slightly.

His face turned concerned, and he moved toward her. "Hey. You'll do great. Come on- it's everything you're good at all in one swoop."

She smiled at him, causing his lips to quirk upright too. They sat in only slightly uncomfortable silence for a while before Rachel noticed him shifting. She knew him well enough to realize he'd come to her dressing room with a purpose.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly.

He looked at her and seemed to chicken out of his decision. "It's… nothing. I just…."

"Finn. Complete honesty, remember?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't want you kissing him," he blurted out. His gaze turned slightly ashamed. "I mean, I know it's just acting and everything but… I really don't want you kissing him."

She touched his arm softly, a small smile on her lips. "Then I'll try not to kiss him," she said simply.

His gaze turned hopeful and relieved. "Really?"

"Really. We agreed this relationship will only work if we take each other into greater account. If it makes you feel uncomfortable, I will try and avoid it. It isn't an unreasonable offer given… well, you know."

Hesitantly he reached out and brushed some hair from her face. They hadn't banned touching, but they'd been so careful with each other so far that they'd barely had any physical contact at all. Her skin tingled at his touch.

"You're gonna be beautiful," he promised her. Then, with a smile, "You already are."

She blushed, dipping her head down to hide it. Then, because she wanted him to be utterly assured, she looked back up. "I might not be able to stop it. Kissing Jesse, I mean. But if I do have to kiss him, I swear I'll be picturing you the whole time. I got good at that when you were still dating Quinn."

"That's… reassuring, flattering and… pretty creepy."

She laughed lightly with him, her heart thrilling. There was a knock on the door and the rest of New Directions piled in. Tina had a bouquet of flowers, which Rachel accepted with a delighted gasp. Everybody wished her good luck, telling her that it was going to be great and thanking her for the free front-row seats. Sam suddenly held up his guitar, raising an eyebrow at Finn who nodded.

"I, uh… I found this song. And it pretty much sums everything up. Music is awesome," he grinned, causing Rachel to laugh. "Anyway, Sam's gonna help me out."

The blond seated himself beside Finn, beginning to strum his guitar. Finn smiled and then looked straight at Rachel, his eyes warm and brimming with emotion that nearly turned her legs to jelly. And then he began singing to her, making her realize how much she'd actually missed his voice.

"_Today is a winding road _

_That's taking me _

_To places that I didn't want to go _

_Whoah _

_Today in the blink of an eye_

_I'm holding onto something_

_And I do not know why _

_I tried_."

Sam, still strumming his guitar, looked straight at Quinn with his own warm smile as he helped Finn out with the vocals.

"_I tried to read between the lines_

_-I tried to look in your eyes_

_-I want a simple explanation_

_-What I'm feeling inside_

_-Gotta find a way out._

_Maybe there's a way out._"

Both boys put all their emotion into the lyrics, giving their girls their all. And suddenly, as Finn sang to her, Rachel knew she could do anything.

"_**Your voice **_

_**Was the soundtrack of my summer**_

_**Do you know**_

_**You're unlike any other?**_

_**You'll always be my thunder **_

_**And I said**_

_**Your eyes **_

_**Are the brightest of all the colours**_

_**I don't wanna ever love another**_

_**You'll always be my thunder**_

_**So bring on the rain**_

_Bring on the thunder_**." **

Finn finished the chorus and Sam began the next verse, not even bothering to look at the chords as he played. Tina was cuddling up to Mike while Brittany sat in Artie's lap. Mercedes had linked her arm with Rachel and was waving her mobile in the air, a soft smile on her face.

"_Today is a winding road_

_Tell me where to start_

_And tell me something I don't know_

_Whoah _

**_Today I'm on my own_**

_**I can't move a muscle **_

_**And I can't pick up the phone **_

_**I dunno **_

_-And now I'm reaching for the tall branch_

_-I'm longing for the breeze _

_-I need to step outside_

_-Just to see if I can breathe_

_-Gotta find a way out_

_Maybe there's a way out_

_**Your voice **_

_**Was the soundtrack of my summer**_

_**Do you know**_

_**You're unlike any other?**_

_**You'll always be my thunder **_

_**And I said**_

_**Your eyes **_

_**Are the brightest of all the colours**_

_**I don't wanna ever love another**_

_**You'll always be my thunder**_

_**So bring on the rain…" **_

Finn's grin was almost as wide as his face by now, and he couldn't seem to look anywhere but Rachel. And Quinn, staring into Sam's eyes, knew that everything had worked out for the best. Especially when she saw Puck almost-smiling.

"_Yeah I'm walking on a tightrope _

_-I'm wrapped up in vines_

_-I think we'll make it out_

_-But you just gotta give me time_

_-Strike it out with lightning_

_-Let me feel you in my veins _

_**I wanna let you know**_

_**How much I feel your pain**_."

Finn sang alone again, and Rachel could honestly say that she'd much rather hear him than even herself.

"_Today is a winding road_

_That's taking me to places_

_That I didn't want to go _

_Whoah… _

_**Your voice**_

_**Was the soundtrack of my summer**_

_**Do you know**_

_**You're unlike any other?**_

_**You'll always be my thunder **_

_**And I said**_

_**Your eyes **_

_**Are the brightest of all the colours**_

_**I don't wanna ever love another**_

_**You'll always be my thunder**_

_**And I said**_

_**Your voice**_

_**Was the soundtrack of my summer**_

_**Do you know**_

_**You're unlike any other?**_

_**You'll always be my thunder**_

_**So bring on the rain **_

_**Oh, baby, bring on the pain**_

_**And listen to the thunder**_**.**"

There were cheers and claps from everybody watching, and Rachel couldn't stop a single tear from escaping her eye. The glee kids got up to leave Rachel to change, but just before they left Finn leant over her.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked her quietly.

She hesitated for a short moment before nodding. Gently Finn leant down and pressed his lips softly to hers. The kiss was chaste and sweet and it left her blushing and honestly wanting more.

"Break a leg," he smiled at her, the private joke of Regionals hanging between them like a sunrise.

Leaving her in the room, Finn left with Sam, congratulating and thanking him. The group of New Directions (minus one) headed back to their seats, bickering good-naturedly about who was sitting where. Finn waved his family over, explaining that Rachel had gotten them good seats as well. Kurt was highly pleased about this and promptly seated himself next to Mercedes. The two began to gossip almost instantly. Finn was about to sit down when Puck suddenly stood in front of him.

"We cool, man?"

He'd asked the same question almost two years ago. Then the tension between them as they stood a little distance apart had been thicker. Finn stared at Puck's outstretched hand, being hit forcefully with memories of the hurt and pain of Quinn and then Rachel and then the fight they'd gotten into. Those memories were replaced with older ones of them growing up together, of Puck telling him the truth when he needed to hear it, of him standing up for him with Jesse.

Finn hadn't fully forgiven Noah Puckerman for all he'd done. But, he realized, Puck had probably not completely forgiven _him_ for a few things as well. And that was the funny thing about brothers. The forgiveness would somehow, inexplicably happen.

Finn smiled at him and clasped his hand. "Yeah. We're cool."

The added _"Just don't think of taking my girlfriend _again_" _was left unsaid.

Finn settled in his seat, his mind only half on the show as the curtain rose a little under an hour later. Jesse was good, he had to admit, and that knowledge brought with it doubt and jealousy. To combat it he thought over all the things he'd sworn to Rachel and himself. They would work on their communication. He promised to be more honest. She promised to consider others- not just him but the whole group. He swore that this time he'd be better. This time, he'd really be hers _faithfully_.

And, as he watched the first scene unfold on the stage, he felt very smug at the notion that in real life he was Rachel's Christian. She'd sing to him, for him, and they'd make it work. Somehow. Slowly. Day-by-day.

When Rachel came out wearing a scantly outfit of feathers and a number of boys hollered it was only Kurt's warning glares that kept him from leaping up and telling them to shut it.

And when Rachel, obviously ignoring all the director's wishes, sang _Sparkling Diamonds _and her lines of the _Elephant Love Melody _right to him, he knew he was the luckiest man in all of Lima. Nah, screw that: he was the luckiest man in the world.

_._


End file.
